BITYI Regional Court near Mthatha in the Eastern Cape has sentenced a suspect (37) to 23 years’ imprisonment for raping a teenage girl (16) in November 2024. The victim was attacked by the suspect and later dragged to an abandoned homestead and raped.

When the victim attempted to escape, she was chased, dragged back and raped for a second time. She later fled and reported the ordeal. The suspect was arrested. During the trial, acting regional court prosecutor Anelisiwe Rwaxa led the evidence of the complainant and the first-report witness and submitted the medical report as evidence. Luxolo Tyali, the NPA regional spokesperson for the Eastern Cape division said that the suspect pleaded not guilty and claimed that the sexual encounter had been consensual.

However, during cross-examination by the state, he changed his version several times.

“Before the prosecutor could present closing arguments, the suspect applied through his legal representative to reopen his case. The court granted the application, after which he admitted to raping the complainant once. He told the court that his conscience had got the better of him during cross-examination and apologised to the complainant and the court for wasting its time,” Tyali said. The court further declared the suspect unfit to possess a firearm and ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.

Supplied