A 27-YEAR-OLD man was sentenced to life in prison for the rape of a 14-year-old girl at a Greytown hostel in 2020.
Provincial police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said Nqubeko Dlamini appeared in the Greytown Regional Court last Thursday for sentencing.
Ngcobo said during sentencing, the court heard how Dlamini raped the child who was visiting her friend who resides at the hostel.
“On 24 March 2020, the girl was leaving the hostel when she was grabbed by the man who forced her into his room and raped her,” she said.
According to Ngcobo, the matter was reported to the police immediately.
“Police acted swiftly with the suspect being arrested on the day of the incident,” she said.
Ngcobo said Dlamini was charged with rape and made several court appearances before he was convicted and sentenced.
In a separate matter last week, KZN Social Development MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza called for a harsh sentence for a pastor who had been arrested for allegedly raping 13 children between the ages of five and 17 in Luvisi village, Nquthu Local Municipality in northern KZN.
The department said it was alleged that the pastor had been luring young girls and boys to watch cartoons and later screened pornographic videos to watch with children.
“The 56-year-old man of the cloth was allegedly caught when a boy reported the matter to his mother, detailing other victims – 11 boys and two girls – who suffered the same fate at the hands of the man,” said the department.
The department said the victim’s mother verified the information with other victims before reporting it to the local police. It is alleged that the reverend started molesting children in 2021, with the last incident on September 18.
“We are calling on communities to support victims and their parents to build solid cases and bring the perpetrators to book. Child abuse and rape have no place in our society, ” said Khoza.
The reverend is expected to appear in court next month.