A 39-year-old man was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment on Monday, October 28 for raping his friend’s wife.
He was sentenced in Lydenburg Magistrate’s Court after appearing in court on several occasions.
According to the SAPS provincial spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli, the ordeal happened in May 2022 when a group of friends, including a woman (the victim) who was 44 at the time, came together for some drinks after a funeral in Lydenburg.
“The victim felt tired and decided to call it a day. They all got into a car and dropped her at home. Thereafter they went back for entertainment and the house was locked by the victim’s husband.
“It was further revealed in court that the rapist decided to go back to the house alone and somehow got hold of the house keys, then got inside the room where the woman was asleep. It was during this time when the accused raped the victim,” said Mdhluli.
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The incident was reported to the police and the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit was assigned to probe. An investigation was conducted and it led to the arrest of the accused.
The acting provincial police commissioner, Major General Dr Zeph Mkhwanazi, has welcomed the sentence and admired the work done by the investigators.
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“We are definitely addressing the scourge of gender-based violence and we are delighted whenever perpetrators of these heinous crimes are removed from the society for a very long time like in this case,” said Mkhwanazi.
