Woman sentenced to life for raping 10-year-old male relative
3 April 2019
A KwaZulu-Natal woman who raped her 10-year-old cousin on multiple occasions has been sentenced to life imprisonment, police say.
The Eshowe Regional Court convicted and sentenced the 30-year-old women on Tuesday, police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane said on Wednesday morning.
"The court heard how she raped a boy last year at Maqhakaza area, Eshowe."
Zwane said the arrest would send a strong message to others "who might be involved in such criminal activities".
He said the boy was raped on August 24, last year, after the woman was invited to a birthday party of the survivor's younger brother in Maqhwakazi.
"After the party, family members, the victim and the accused went to sleep in a rondavel house. In the middle of the night, the accused was caught raping a 10-year-old boy inside the rondavel," Zwane said.
He added: "When the boy was questioned about rape, he told his mother that he was raped twice before by the same accused."
Zwane said a case of rape was then opened at Eshowe police station.
"After an intensive investigation by our experienced Eshowe Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit members, the accused was arrested the following month and was charged for rape."
