NEIGHBOUR GETS LIFE AND FIVE YEARS IMPRISONMENT FOR RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT

22 OCTOBER 2025

NEIGHBOUR GETS LIFE AND FIVE YEARS IMPRISONMENT FOR RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT

The Durban Regional Court has sentenced a 38-year-old man to life and five years imprisonment for the rape and sexual assault he committed in September 2024 in Mayville. Both the complainants were 13 years old at the time of the offence, and they were known to the accused.

The first complainant was at a tap in the area (fetching water) when she met the accused, who was a neighbour. He asked her to accompany him to a nearby house where he wanted to charge his phone. She went with him, and when they got to the house, he pushed her inside and raped her. The complainant told him to stop and that she was a child; however, he did not stop. The complainant did not report the matter immediately as she was afraid that she was going to be scolded for accompanying the accused.

The second complainant was at home when the accused went there to get a beer from the fridge (he kept his beers in the fridge at the complainant’s home). After taking the beer, he touched the complainant inappropriately and kissed her. The complainant ran outside and waited for him to leave the house. Before this, he had proposed to her, but she had rejected him, saying that she was a child. When this matter came to light, the complainant in the rape case also came forward and divulged that she had been raped. This complainant was taken to a hospital for medical attention. The mothers of the complainants then contacted the police, and the accused was arrested.

In court, Prosecutor Sphindile Precious Ntombela led the evidence of the complainants, their mothers, as well as the evidence of the medical doctor who had examined the first complainant. In aggravation of the sentence, the state handed in Victim Impact Statements (VIS) compiled by the complainants and their mothers, and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer, Nondumiso Nyembe. The first complainant said that the incident affected her emotionally and mentally. She said that she was struggling at school and was experiencing flashbacks. Her mother said that the complainant was afraid to walk to school and had to be escorted there.

In her statement, the second complainant said that she is now uncomfortable around her peers as they tease her about what happened. The accused was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape, and five years imprisonment for sexual assault, and he was declared unfit to possess a firearm. The court also found him unsuitable to work with children, and the court ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.

The NPA welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter, and we remain committed to pursuing justice for the victims of crime.

Issued by:

Natasha Ramkisson-Kara

NPA Regional Spokesperson

KZN Division

0716700229