Two men, aged 30, have received life imprisonment sentences after raping a pregnant woman in Sawoti in September 2020.

Their names are withheld to protect the identity of the woman whose boyfriend was friends with both accused.

According to reports, on the morning of the incident, the complainant was alone at her boyfriend’s house when the two men knocked on the door and asked where he was. When she told them he was out, they decided to wait for him inside the house.

At some point, both men raped her. They then left the house and fled to Durban.

When the complainant’s boyfriend returned, she told him what happened, and she received medical assistance at a nearby hospital. Later, both accused handed themselves over to the police.

During the trial, State Prosecutor Thanusha Govender led the evidence of the complainant, her boyfriend and the medical doctor who examined the complainant. DNA evidence presented by the State linked the accused to the offence and placed them at the scene.

Govender also handed in a Victim Impact Statement prepared by the complainant with the assistance of court preparation officer Nokukhanya Mkhize. In her statement, the complainant described the indescribable pain and emotional trauma she suffered as a result of the incident.

The men were sentenced in the Scottburgh Regional Court recently.

In addition to the sentences, they were declared unfit to possess firearms, and their names will be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.

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