Life sentence for parolee who raped teenage girl in KwaZulu-Natal

A 42-year-old KwaZulu-Natal man who raped a teenage girl while he was out on parole has been handed a life sentence. 

The recent release of crime statistics showed that KZN had the second-highest number of rapes reported in South Africa. 

Over three months, October 2024 and December 2024, there were 2,283 cases of rapes reported. 

The highest number was in Gauteng with 2,300 cases. 

In a most recent conviction the parolee who cannot be named to protect the identity of the minor girl, was convicted this week in The Madadeni Regional Court. 

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the man raped the girl on multiple occasions between October 2022 and October 2023.

"The accused and the complainant were neighbors, and the complainant’s mother and the accused’s sister were familiar with each other," explained NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara.

"The accused’s sister had a younger child and on occasion, she would ask the complainant to come over and take care of her child when she went out. During this time, the accused was in prison serving a sentence for rape."

The NPA said the accused was released on parole in October 2022 and returned home.

"The accused then raped the complainant on the occasions that his sister called her (the complainant) over to take care of her child.

"He threatened to kill the complainant if she told anyone what was going on.

"The complainant eventually reported the incident to her mother, and they reported this to the police, leading to the accused’s arrest."

In addition to the life sentence, the accused was declared unfit to possess a firearm, and the court ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.

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