Newcastle - A 62-year-old man and a 27-year-old man have both been sentenced in the Madadeni Regional Court in Newcastle to life imprisonment in two separate rape cases, KwaZulu-Natal police said.
"In March 2016, a 14-year-old boy was very ill; his elders took him to the local traditional healer as they thought he will able to cure him," Lt-Col Thulani Zwane said.
"The healer told the family that there is something wrong with the boy and they must bring him to his house every night. The victim went there for three nights in a row. After that the victim refused to go back. The family then questioned him about why he did not want to go back.
"He told them that the man is raping him every night, claiming that it is a healing process. The elders reported the matter to the police and the docket was transferred to the Newcastle family violence, child protection, and sexual offences [FCS] unit for further investigation. The suspect was arrested immediately and was kept in custody until his trial. He was convicted and sentenced [this week] to life imprisonment for rape," Zwane said.
In an unrelated case this week, the same court sentenced a 27-year-old man to life imprisonment for raping a 12-year-old girl, he said.
In May 2012, the victim was at home in the Blaaubosch area at Osizweni with her younger brothers and her stepbrother.
"The younger brother noticed his sister sitting on the stepbrother’s lap in the toilet. The boy reported the matter to the parents. The parents questioned the accused about it and he denied it. He then fled to his mother’s house in Driefontein."
The victim confirmed the incident and was taken to a doctor for an examination, which confirmed she had "serious injuries". The case was also handed to the Newcastle FCS unit.
"The accused evaded arrest until he was traced at Driefontein in January 2013, where he was arrested and kept in custody until the matter was tried at the Madadeni Regional Court. He was the convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for rape," Zwane said.
KwaZulu-Natal acting police commissioner Maj-Gen Bheki Langa commended detectives for their investigation that led to the conviction of the accused. “I would like to praise our detectives for gathering full evidence and brought it to court which led to the successful prosecution of the accused. I welcome the sentence handed down to the accused and we hope that it will send a strong message to other rapists that the long arm of law will catch you whenever and wherever you are,” he said.