eSikhaleni rapist jailed for life

Esikhaleni Regional Court last week sentenced a man to life plus 10 years after he pleaded guilty to the rape and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH) of his ex-girlfriend in October last year.

The man (37) and his victim were in a romantic relationship and shared a child, but were no longer together at the time of the crime.

The court heard that on 28 October 2024, they met in the Chibini area, and the accused forced the woman to go with him to his homestead, where he raped and assaulted her.

Thereafter, he took her to uMlazi outside Durban, where he was renting accommodation, and continued raping her and assaulting her with a grass slasher all over her body.

At some point, he left the woman as he needed to go to work, and the victim managed to escape. She fled to Mtunzini, where she reported the matter. The man was subsequently arrested, while the victim was taken to the Ngwelezane Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) for medical and psycho-social assistance.

In her victim impact statement, the woman said the incident has traumatised her and she still experiences flashbacks.

She sustained physical injuries during the incident, and these are now a permanent reminder of her ordeal, she added.

Once convicted, the perpetrator was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape, and a further 10 years for assault GBH.

The court ordered that the sentences run concurrently, and the man was declared unfit to possess a firearm.

The court ruled that the victim has a right to make representations should her attacker be considered for parole or correctional supervision.

In addition, the victim has the right to attend any relevant meetings of the parole board.

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