Durban - Nine life sentences have been handed down to those who committed violent crimes against women and children, KZN police said this week.
The sentences were handed down in the August, police said. Other convicted persons were imprisoned to a total of 367 years for similar crimes.
Speaking this week, KZN police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele, said the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units in KwaZulu-Natal, would continue to work tirelessly to ensure that perpetrators faced the law and received deserving sentences for their lawlessness.
"The units will continue to intensify their investigations and contest any crime against women and children."
Mbele said a total of 327 suspects were arrested for sexual related cases and 42 convictions were secured during August, whilst other cases remained under investigation and some were still pending at various courts.
One of the accused was sentenced to a total of three terms of life imprisonment for rape cases.
Some of the other charges includes rape, murder, kidnapping, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, attempted rape, robbery and child abandonment.