Mariannhill man convicted of raping young boys after promising them cellphones
A 27-year-old man from Mariannhill, near Pinetown has been found guilty of multiple counts of rape, statutory rape and sexual assault by the Pietermaritzburg High Court.
The court found that Menzi Shandu lured around 16 boys between the ages of 8 and 14-years to different homes in the Pietermaritzburg, Richmond and Amanzimtoti areas between 2016 and 2017.
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In handing down his judgement, Judge Anand Maharaj said Shandu expected to receive sexual gratification after promising the victims cellphones.Maharaj recounted how the boys heard that they would receive cellphones or get to play games on Shandu's before going to his home.
Some of the boys said they were then raped by the man.
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Shandu had previously testified that the sex was consensual and that the boys only reported him when they did not receive the promised devices.Maharaj ended his judgement by saying that while some of the victims did consent, they were under the age of 16 and therefore the consent was not recognised by the Sexual Offences Act.
