KZN woman sentenced to 20 years for raping nine-year-old neighbour

A 19-year-old woman has been sentenced to 20 years’ direct imprisonment for raping her nine-year-old neighbour in KwaZulu-Natal.

The sentence was handed down by the Umzimkhulu Regional Court following an investigation by the Kokstad Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit.

Police said the child was lured into the woman’s room before the sexual assault took place.

Woman convicted of raping child

According to KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda, the woman called the nine-year-old girl into her room and instructed her to undress before sexually assaulting her.

The court subsequently convicted the woman and sentenced her to 20 years in prison.

Police did not provide further details about the circumstances surrounding the relationship between the woman and the child.

The case formed part of a number of serious sexual offence matters that recently reached the sentencing stage at the Umzimkhulu Regional Court.

Netshiunda said the court had a particularly busy period as several cases investigated by the Kokstad FCS Unit came before it for sentencing.

Man sentenced to 25 years for rape

In a separate case, another rape matter dating back to 2018 also resulted in a lengthy prison sentence.

Tshepo Kekana was convicted over the rape of a 25-year-old woman who was walking home from a friend’s residence in Soshanguve on 9 December 2018.

The woman encountered Kekana, who pointed a firearm at her and demanded her cellphone and money.

After she told him that she did not have either, he forced her into an open area nearby and raped her before fleeing.

She reported the attack to police shortly afterwards.

Kekana was eventually arrested on 26 March 2026 while he was already in custody for an unrelated matter.

Court rejects plea for leniency

Kekana pleaded guilty and asked the court to reduce the prescribed minimum sentence, arguing that his plea demonstrated remorse and helped save court time.

The State opposed the request.

Prosecutor Setuma Mashabathagka argued that the guilty plea was not evidence of genuine remorse, but was instead prompted by the strength of the evidence against him.

The State also highlighted Kekana’s previous convictions.

The prosecutor told the court that this was the third time Kekana had been convicted of rape. He is also serving a life sentence for murder.

The State argued that his criminal history demonstrated a pattern of serious and violent offending and that he remained a danger to the public.

The court ultimately sentenced Kekana to 25 years’ direct imprisonment.

The two cases highlight the serious sexual offence matters that continue to make their way through the courts, with lengthy sentences handed down where offenders are convicted.

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Source: The Citizen