A KwaZulu-Natal man was sentenced to two life terms for raping his teenage cousin in Mahlabathini in 2021.

The Ulundi regional court handed the 27-year-old the hefty sentence after rape of the then 15-year-old girl, which happened in October 2021 in the Ezihlabeni area.

“The girl went to visit her granny who was staying with the cousin. Since her granny was bedridden, she went about cooking and cleaning for her. At some stage, the granny fell asleep and the girl went into the kitchen to wash the dishes.

“She was followed by her cousin who then raped her twice. She asked him what he was doing because they are relatives and he responded by saying that relatives can be mischievous too. He then threatened to kill her if she told anyone,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said.

The young girl reported the rape to her sister when she returned home.

The police were alerted and the man was arrested.

“In court, the man denied the allegations saying the intercourse was consensual and initiated by the girl. In proving the state’s case, prosecutor Mzwandile Mtshali, led the testimony of the girl and her sister, as well as the medical evidence of the doctor.

“Mtshali also handed in a victim impact statement, compiled by the girl and facilitated by court preparation officer Xolani Malindisa. In her statement the girl said she was ashamed by what had happened and that she had become suicidal.”

The man was sentenced to life imprisonment for each count of rape and will serve an effective term of life imprisonment as it was ordered the sentences run concurrently.

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