Ntuzuma court hands down lengthy sentences to two convicted rapists

One of the accused is a 65-year-old man who abused a minor between 2019 and 2020.

The National Prosecution Authority in KwaZulu-Natal says the man was the manager of the building the child and her family lived in Amatikwe.

Spokesperson Natasha Kara says he lured the child into his office by promising her sweets.

"During sentencing proceedings, the man was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for rape and eight years imprisonment for sexual assault. The court deviated from the minimum sentence of life imprisonment for rape, saying that the man is elderly.

"However, the court ruled that the sentences run consecutively, thus resulting in an effective sentence of 23 years imprisonment."

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"He was declared unfit to possess a firearm. The man made an application for leave to appeal his sentence, which was opposed by the state. The court refused his application."

The court has also sentenced Dalithemba Khewa to life for the rape of a 78-year-old woman.

He broke into the pensioner's Ntuzuma home in 2018.

The elderly woman was also robbed of cash and groceries.

"The woman was unable to identify her attackers as she is visually impaired. She was taken to the Phoenix Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC), where she received the necessary psychosocial services, counselling and support. DNA samples collected from her home, led to Khewa’s arrest in February 2020."

Both men have been added to the National Register for Sex Offenders and the National Child Protection Register.