Durban - A 27-year-old man was handed a double life term in jail for raping his 15-year-old cousin in October 2021 in the Ezihlabeni area of Mahlabathini in KwaZulu-Natal.
According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, the Ulundi Regional Court sentenced the accused last week.
Ramkisson-Kara said the girl, who was 15 at the time of the incident, went to visit her grandmother. She said the granny was staying with the accused.
“Since her granny was bedridden, she went about cooking and cleaning for her,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
She added that at one point the granny fell asleep and the girl went into the kitchen to wash the dishes. She was followed by her cousin, who then raped her twice.
“She asked him what he was doing because they are relatives, and he responded by saying that relatives can be mischievous too. He then threatened to kill her if she told anyone,” she said.
Due to her granny being so severely unwell, the NPA said the girl chose not to report to her but instead went back home and reported the incident to her sister.
“The police were alerted and the man was arrested. The girl was taken to a nearby hospital where she was examined by a doctor,” she said.
In court, Ramkisson-Kara said the man denied the allegations, saying that the intercourse was consensual and initiated by the girl.
In proving the State’s case, Regional Court prosecutor Mzwandile Baldwin Mtshali led the testimony of the girl and her sister, as well as the medical evidence of the doctor. Mtshali also handed in a Victim Impact Statement, compiled by the girl and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Xolani Malindisa.
“In her statement the girl said that she was ashamed by what had happened and that she had become suicidal,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
The NPA said the man was sentenced to life imprisonment for each count of rape, and will serve an effective term of life imprisonment as the sentences were ordered to run concurrently.
“The NPA acknowledges the hard work done by the prosecution and investigation team. We trust that this sentence will have the necessary deterrent effect.”