Durban - A 60-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for kidnapping and raping a teenager.
The man was convicted on a count of rape, kidnapping and two counts of sexual assault in the Greytown Regional Court this week.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority, the accused knew the victim’s relatives as they attended the same church.
The victim is an orphan.
According to the NPA, the offences took place between February and July 2019.
“At some point, the man asked the victim’s relatives to arrange a suitable bride for him, even though he was already married to two wives and had five children,” said NPA spokesperson Natasha Kara.
“The victim’s aunt chose her to be his bride, and after much coercion from her family, the victim agreed to marry him.
“Upon meeting him, she changed her mind when she realised his age. However, her family and the accused refused to accept her rejection of the accused.
“The accused arranged with her family to take her to a room that he rented in Greytown. There, he attempted to rape her, and when he failed to do so, he then put her in his car and drove her to a bushy area outside Greytown, where he tried again tried to rape her, but she fought him off.”
Kara said the victim returned home and told her family, but nothing was done.
“The family proceeded with pre-marital rituals, including the payment of lobola, fully aware that the complainant was resisting.”
Kara said the victim was then kidnapped by the accused and taken to his home in Ntembisweni.
“She was held captive and repeatedly raped by him. She was rescued 10 days later when social workers received information about a young girl continuously crying in the accused’s home.
“With the assistance of the police, the social workers infiltrated the house and found the victim handcuffed to the metal leg of a table. She immediately reported the kidnapping and rape.”
Kara said in court that the man raised the defence of the traditional practice of ukuthwala.
“However, the court rejected his argument and convicted him accordingly.”
In a victim impact statement, the victim said she had tried to commit suicide.
The man was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape, 12 years imprisonment for the two counts of sexual assault and five years imprisonment for kidnapping.
“He will effectively serve a term of life imprisonment.”
IOL