The Madadeni Regional Court in KZN has sentenced a 46-year-old man to two life terms of imprisonment for the rape of his nieces, aged 13 and six years old.

NPA regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara says the girls, who are cousins, were raped on various occasions by the man who lived with them in the same homestead.

“In 2015, he raped a 13-year-old girl on two different occasions while her grandmother was not around. The six-year-old was raped in 2019 while she was alone at home. The man had threatened both of them not to tell anyone,” she says.

Eventually, they confided in each other, and their violations came to light.

The man was arrested, and the girls were taken to the Madadeni Thuthuzela Care Centre, where they received the necessary psychosocial services, counselling, and support.

In court, regional court prosecutor Simphiwe Scelo Hlela submitted victim impact statements compiled by the girls and it was facilitated by court preparation officer Mdiya Masande.

The older girl says at some point following the offenses, she was suicidal. Her grades at school were affected, and she also ran away from home.

The younger girl says the incident affected her mentally. She still has nightmares about what happened.

The man was sentenced to life imprisonment for each of the rapes. The court declared him unfit to possess a firearm and unsuitable to work with children, and an order was made that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.

“The NPA welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter, as it affirms our commitment to curbing the scourge of gender-based violence and sexual offenses.” We commend the work done by the prosecution and SAPS,” Ramkisson-Kara concludes.