Man sentenced to life for raping long-term girlfriend in Northern Cape

Instead of being a Northern Cape woman’s protector, her boyfriend of eight years traumatised and betrayed her trust by forcing himself on her and raping her.

A 36-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the victim, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping his 48-year-old girlfriend on 28 November 2022.

On that evening, the couple visited their friends before they left for their residence. When they arrived, the pair were preparing for bed when the accused told the victim to undress as he was undressing.

Man forced himself on girlfriend

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the boyfriend then started to force his girlfriend to sleep with him, but she refused as she was on her period.

“He nonetheless forcefully turned her around on her stomach, and he tried to penetrate her in the back. The suspect then said to the complainant that if she loved him, she would allow him to penetrate her,” Senokoatsane said.

ALSO READ: ‘He was supposed to protect the child’: Man sentenced to life for raping little cousin

“Even though the complainant did not consent to any of this, the suspect forced himself on her. Although the complainant begged him to stop as it was painful, he continued.”

After some time, the accused left the room, and that’s when his girlfriend took the chance to escape and report the matter to the police station near her home. She was also taken to the hospital for medical examination.

He was arrested on 29 November 2022 and then abandoned his bail application at the Carnarvon District Court.

‘She was expecting him to be her protector’

Senokoatsane said that during the trial, the girlfriend, who was badly traumatised by this incident, expressed herself in a victim impact statement.

“The victim told the court how the events of that day had changed her life as it was done to her by a person she trusted, and she was expecting him to be her protector. That he violated her in a manner that did not show that he ever loved her. That it will take a very long time to trust people again,” Senokoatsane said.

ALSO READ: Man rapes his granddaughter in same bed as her brother

Prosecutor Advocate Corrie Jonker put it to the court that a clear message needed to be sent that, even if the victim and the accused are in a relationship, if the accused is found guilty of abusing his partner, they will be sentenced accordingly.

Jonker argued that even then the accused heard her, his girlfriend crying in pain, he continued to rape her as if they were not in a relationship and called for the court to sentence the accused to life imprisonment for his actions.

Sentenced to life, declared unfit for firearm

Thereafter, the accused was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Carnarvon Regional Court and he was declared unfit to possess a firearm.

“The National Prosecuting Authority will continue to prosecute these matters that affect the safety and well-being of our communities to ensure justice for victims of crime by arguing for harsher sentences for the perpetrators,” Senokoatsane said.