Sister sentenced to life for raping younger brother
The Madadeni Regional Court in KwaZulu-Natal has imposed life plus five years on a 28-year-old who violated her younger brother’s trust, raping him and displaying pornography while threatening his silence.
The court sentenced the sister after she pleaded guilty to raping her brother on numerous occasions and exposing him to pornographic material.
Victim was eight when offences began
The brother was eight years old when the offences began in the Osizweni area in Newcastle.
The accused and the victim are biological siblings who lived in the same home with their mother.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the sister committed the crimes during the period of 2022 to 2024.
“Following the incidents, she threatened him not to tell anyone what she had done,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
The assaults were discovered in 2024 when the brother attended a school presentation. At the presentation, pupils were told to report anyone who touched their private parts.
Brother tells mother after presentation at school
The boy was encouraged to report the matter to his mother because of the presentation. He was taken to the Madadeni Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) for medical and psychosocial support.
The police were informed, and the accused was subsequently arrested.
In aggravation of sentence, prosecutor Zama Zikalala emphasised that the accused abused a position of trust as the boy’s older sister.
Their mother also testified about the behavioural impact the abuse has had on her son.
The court sentenced the sister to life imprisonment for rape. It also gave her five years’ imprisonment for exposing a minor to pornographic material.
The court also ordered that her name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders. She was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Thuthuzela Care Centres essential for victims
The NPA welcomed the sentence.
“The fight against sexual violence, particularly against children, remains a top priority,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
She added that the country’s (TCCs) continue to be essential. They offer victims of sexual offences comprehensive support.
The TCCs grew from 55 in 2020/21 to 66 currently.
