A 46-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for the assault and rape of his partner.
PHOTO: Aitor Diago, Getty Images
*WARNING: Not for sensitive readers
- A 46-year-old Kuruman man raped his partner after she took too long to prepare food for him.
- He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
- The magistrate took into account the amount of time the man had spent in custody and the fact that he did not have previous convictions.
A Northern Cape man has been sentenced to 20 years behind bars for assaulting and raping his partner after she took too long to prepare food for him.
The incident occurred near Bankhara Bodulong in Kuruman in the Northern Cape in 2021.
Giving details about what led up to the rape, Northern Cape National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the 46-year-old man arrived at home and demanded that the 44-year-old woman should cook food for him.
He went out to visit friends and drink alcohol, and when he returned home, he started eating the food she had made. But he later attacked her and told her she had taken too long to make the food.
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“While assaulting the victim, the accused instructed her to collect some scissors and used the scissors to cut the victim’s private parts. The complainant alleges that the wound bled profusely, and the accused proceeded to rape the complainant,” said Senokoatsane.
The matter was reported to the police and the man was arrested.
After he was convicted, prosecutor Bernice Bronkhorst argued that the court should impose a life sentence.
Senokoatsane said:
The reason was that the crime was heinous, as the accused did not only rape his victim, but he also violated her by inflicting grievous bodily harm upon the complainant.
In aggravation of the sentence, Bronkhorst asked the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment.
She emphasised the seriousness of the offence as well as the fact that the offences committed were not only prevalent but also on the increase.
However, Magistrate Lulamile Mdoda said a life sentence should be reserved for offenders who would have been sentenced to the death penalty if such a sentence existed.
The magistrate also took into account the amount of time the accused had spent in custody and the fact that he did not have previous convictions as substantial and compelling circumstances that justified a deviation from the prescribed minimum sentence.
“However, the heinousness of the crime was highlighted, and the magistrate sentenced the accused to 20 years’ direct imprisonment,” Senokoatsane said.