Double life sentence for rape and kidnapping

Forty-one-year-old Selvan Govender was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment for rape and kidnapping and an additional three years for theft, in the Stanger regional court on March 19.

Govender’s sentence was given based on four counts of rape, two counts of kidnapping and one count of theft. He committed these crimes in 2009.

In April 2009, Govender lured a then nineteen-year-old woman to a sugar cane field near Tinley Manor under the pretense of providing her with employment. The young, pregnant woman was kept there against her will and raped twice.

The following month, Govender convinced a 17-year-old girl’s family to give him shelter for the night. The next morning, after the adults left home, Govender asked the girl to go shopping with him in Stanger. He lured her to the same sugar cane field where he raped her twice.

He also stole a cell phone from one of his victims.

Regional court prosecutor, Paul Nel led the evidence of the two young women as well as that of an eye witness and that of the father of one of the women.

DNA evidence further linked Govender to the offences.

In aggravation of the sentence, Nel emphasised the seriousness of the offences and that when he committed these crimes, Govender had been on parole (for a rape and abduction conviction from 1998).

The two women handed in statements expressing the trauma and embarrassment they had experienced during the rape and even during the trail. Govender testified that one of the women was a prostitute and that he was in a relationship with the other. The court however rejected his versions of events.

The National Prosecuting Authority said they welcome this sentence as it reaffirms their commitment to the fight against crime; especially the scourge of gender based violence.