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The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General (Dr) Zeph Mkhwanazi, has praised the sentencing of a 39-year-old man to 10 years in prison for the rape of his friend’s wife, describing it as a significant victory in the fight against gender-based violence.
Court proceedings revealed that the incident occurred in May 2022, following a gathering among friends in Lydenburg. After attending a funeral, four friends, including the 44-year-old female victim, gathered for drinks. When the victim became tired, she decided to go home, and her friends drove her there. Her husband locked the house before returning with the others for more entertainment.
However, the accused reportedly returned to the house alone, obtained the house keys, and entered the room where the woman was sleeping. It was then that he committed the assault. Upon discovering the crime, the victim reported it to the police, and the Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit was assigned to lead the investigation.
Investigators gathered sufficient evidence, leading to the man’s arrest. He appeared in court multiple times before being found guilty and sentenced to a decade in prison by the Lydenburg Regional Court on 28 October 2024. SAPS has not disclosed the perpetrator’s identity in order to protect the victim.
Major General Mkhwanazi extended his gratitude to the investigators, prosecutors, and judiciary for their efforts in securing justice. “We are committed to tackling the scourge of gender-based violence and are encouraged whenever perpetrators of such heinous crimes are held accountable and removed from society for a long time,” he said.
