Rape and murder suspect convicted

The KwaZulu-Natal Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offenses Unit remains committed to ridding society of sexual predators and murderers who target vulnerable women and children.

This was made clear when the Durban High Court sentenced a 38-year-old man to five life sentences plus an additional six years in prison.

The verdict was announced on Monday after the defendant was found guilty of four counts of rape, one count of murder, one count of attempted murder and another charge of assault.

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The verdict followed despicable events that occurred in KwaNyuswa in the early hours of Wednesday, May 11, 2022, when the now convicted man killed his wife and moments later raped his then 15-year-old biological daughter. He then raped his 18-year-old stepdaughter.

On that fateful day, he and his fiancée got into a verbal altercation which resulted in him stabbing her and then covering her with leaves in the garden. Shortly afterwards he woke up his biological daughter and told her that her mother had become ill and that she had to rush to the hospital. He persuaded the little one to take her to the imaginary hospital to check on her mother, and the unsuspecting child obliged.

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A few meters from the house, the father turned against his daughter, raped her twice and attacked her at the same time. After he finished, he led them back to the house, where he woke up his stepdaughter and sexually assaulted her while the 15-year-old watched. The highly traumatized 15-year-old was able to ask family members for help via WhatsApp. When family members arrived, he fled the scene. His fiancée’s hidden body was soon recovered and murder charges were subsequently filed.

Pinetown Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offenses (FCS) investigators thoroughly investigated the matter and hunted down the suspect, who had disappeared without a trace. With the assistance of Crime Intelligence, he was arrested in Illovo township, where he disguised himself as a woman. He appeared in the Pinetown Magistrates Court several times before the matter was transferred to the Durban Regional Court for trial.

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KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi commended the investigative team for proving the case beyond reasonable doubt and ensuring that the rapist and murderer was permanently removed from society.

Cases of violence against women and children are a priority and our FCS investigators have met with pleasingly high sentences. As difficult as it is to monitor crimes that occur behind closed doors, police in KwaZulu-Natal will continue to encourage women, children and vulnerable groups to speak out against all forms of violence.

“Men who are victims of gender-based violence (GBV) must also debunk the myth that portrays reporting GBV cases against women as a sign of weakness. We encourage our investigators to continue their excellent work and ensure that all sex offenders receive the maximum prison sentence possible,” Mkhwanazi said.