Durban – A KwaZulu-Natal man who raped his cousin 13 years ago has been jailed for life.
Police said the 37-year-old accused who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, was sentenced in the Camperdown Regional Court.
Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said the accused had been living in the same house as the victim in Mpumalanga township, near Hammarsdale.
The victim she said was 13 at the time. The accused was 24.
According to police, girl was raped on four occasions between 2006 and 2007.
“The accused threatened to kill the victim if she told her family about the rape.”
On May 11, 2007, the victim told her family about the rape and the accused was taken to the Mpumalanga police station.
“The accused confessed to raping the victim and he appeared at court where he was granted bail.
“He absconded while out on bail and a warrant for his arrest was issued by the court.”
Mbele said in May this year, the accused was rearrested after he was found hiding in Ntshongweni.
She said the accused remained behind bars as an awaiting-trial prisoner until his conviction and sentencing.
The KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Khombinkosi Jula, applauded the investigating officers for ensuring that justice was served.
“Criminals can run but cannot hide from the long arm of law. They will be arrested no matter how long it takes us,” he said.
IOL