Two men, aged 62 and 34, were sentenced to life imprisonment for three charges of rape they perpetrated in August 2023 in the Sokombo region of Ndwedwe, KwaZulu-Natal.
The sentences were handed down by the Verulam Regional Court.
The woman and her friends were drinking alcohol in a tuck shop near her home. The two men were also at the tuck shop, seated separately from the woman and her companions.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) KZN regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the woman actually knew the men as they were related to her.
The woman and her friends eventually decided to leave the tuck shop and relocate to another house since the wind was too strong where they were seated.
They remained at the other property till late. The complainant fell asleep and awoke to find that her friends had gone.
She then decided to head home. On her way, she observed two men coming towards her and she greeted them as they approached.
"When they got close enough, they grabbed her hand, and in her attempt to break free from them, she fell to the ground. They then took turns to rape her, following which one of them inserted a sharp object into her anus," Ramkisson-Kara said.
The men then fled the scene, leaving the victim lying on the road. She then reported the incident to the police, who transported her to the Phoenix Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) for medical and psychosocial support.
The men were detained the next day.
"In court, the men did not dispute seeing the complainant at the tuck shop on the evening of the incident. However, they said that they left the tuck shop and went home," added Ramkisson-Kara.
In her Victim Impact Statement, the woman stated that although she consumed alcohol, she did not deserve to be assaulted. She expressed hope that men will learn to treat all women with respect.
She went on to say that they had wrecked her life and that she never wanted to see them again.
IOL