A 48-year-old man has been sentenced to life and 15 years in jail for the rape of a 22-year-old man in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
The accused, who was not named, appeared in the Ingwavuma Regional Court on Wednesday.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the offences occurred in the Mbazwana area of northern KZN between November 2019 and January 2020.
Rape
Ramkisson-Kara said the accused and the victim are related to each other.
“The accused raped the complainant on three occasions (November and December 2019, and January 2020).On each occasion, the accused entered the complainant’s home at night when the complainant was asleep.
“He was armed with a knife, which he used to threaten the complainant before raping him. The accused also threatened to kill the complainant and rape his family members if he (the complainant) reported the matter,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
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Arrest
Ramkisson-Kara added that after being raped in January 2020, the complainant reported the matter to his mother.
“The police were contacted, but the accused could not be found. The complainant was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was examined by a doctor. The accused remained at large until he was arrested in 2024.”
Trial
During the trial, prosecutor Lungisile Bhengu led the testimony of the victim, his mother, who was the first reporter, as well as the doctor who conducted the medical examination.
“The doctor corroborated the complainant’s allegations of being raped. In aggravation of the sentence, Ms Bhengu handed in a Victim Impact Statement(VIS) to the court. The VIS was compiled by the complainant and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Mandisa Sikakane,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
“In his statement, the complainant said that he still suffers psychological and emotional trauma and lives in constant fear. He said that he was bullied following the incident and endured verbal abuse from the community.”
Sentence
The state asked the court to sentence the accused to the minimum sentence on both counts, which was life imprisonment in respect of the November and December 2019 rapes (rape on diverse occasions) and 15 years imprisonment for the January 2020 rape.
“The court imposed a sentence of life imprisonment and an additional 15 years imprisonment, and the accused was declared unfit to possess a firearm,” Ramkisson-Kara added.
Ramkisson-Kara said the NPA commends the sentences handed down.
“The accused, being a family member of the complainant, was in a position of trust. The offences broke that trust and caused immense pain and suffering to the complainant. Cases such as this demonstrate the NPA’s unwavering commitment to curbing the scourge of sexual offences within our communities.”
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