The Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a 46-year-old man from Elandshoek to 40 years’ direct imprisonment after convicting him on four counts of rape. His name is withheld to protect the identities of the victims.

He pleaded guilty to crimes committed between April 2008 and July 2022 in Malelane, White River, Nelspruit and Elandshoek. The victims ranged in age from five to 40 years and included a close family relative.

The first incident occurred on 8 April 2008 in Malelane, when the man approached a five-year-old girl walking behind her house, lured her into nearby bushes, raped her and left her in distress. The most recent attack took place in July 2022 in Elandshoek, where he took advantage of his wife’s absence to rape a 17-year-old visitor during the school holidays. The teenager reported the assault to her mother the next day, which led to police involvement. DNA evidence later linked him to other crimes.

In aggravation of the sentence, State Prosecutor Leana Jones argued that his guilty plea was prompted by overwhelming evidence. She emphasised the prevalence of rape in South Africa, describing it as a grave violation of human dignity, and urged the court to impose a severe penalty.

The court sentenced him to 20 years’ imprisonment for two counts of rape and 15 years for each of the other two. The sentences will run concurrently, resulting in a total of 40 years. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm, barred from working with children, and his name will be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.