Mbombela - An Mpumalanga man was jailed for life on Tuesday for raping a teenager.
Aubrey Sibongiseni Fakude, 28, was found guilty in the Nelspruit Regional Court earlier in the day. He raped a 15-year-old girl in Salubindza near Hazyview on July 1, 2012.
He was arrested the next day, and pleaded not guilty to housebreaking and rape, a Sapa correspondent reported.
Fakude claimed he had a love affair with the victim, but his defence was dismissed. The magistrate found that Fakude broke into the girl's home and raped her while she was not feeling well.
“We know that the woman had period pains. If you were in love with the victim, why would you sleep with her while she was on her period? If she agreed to sleep with you, why did she open a case against you?” asked magistrate Rudolf Smith.
Smith said Fakude was evasive in his testimony.
“There are a lot of questions that you did not answer when you were asked and you did not respond. I do not believe she wanted money and that she was your girlfriend.”
The magistrate also sentenced Fakude to 15 years for housebreaking, which will run concurrently with the life sentence.
Sapa