A WOMAN who was raped near a cemetery in Deben in 2013 died before her attacker was sentenced to an effective 10 years behind bars this month.
Northern Cape police spokesperson Captain Nomthandazo Mnisi said the 35-year-old man was sentenced on October 16 for raping the victim, who was 18 at the time, and stealing her cellphone.
The victim died on March 19 this year, before the case was finalised – nearly 13 years after the attack.
She had been walking to her aunt’s home at about 7pm on May 16, 2013, when she passed a man standing near a cemetery wall in Deben, near Kathu.
According to police, he grabbed her by the neck, slapped and choked her, then pulled her to the ground and raped her. Whenever she tried to scream for help, he put soil in her mouth.
The attacker stopped when he heard people approaching, stole her cellphone and fled.
The Kathu Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit investigated the rape and theft case.
The man received 10 years’ imprisonment for rape and two years for theft. The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, meaning he will serve an effective 10-year prison term.
His particulars will also be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders and the National Child Protection Register. He was also declared unsuitable to work with children and unfit to possess a firearm.
Acting Northern Cape police commissioner Major General Luntu Ngubelanga welcomed the conviction and sentence.
Provincial police management commended investigating officer Detective Constable Pako Bele, of the Kathu FCS Unit, for his work in bringing the case to its conclusion.
“Although she did not live to see the conclusion of the proceedings, the sentence brings a measure of justice to her family,” said Mnisi.
“SAPS remains committed to investigating sexual offences and bringing perpetrators to justice, regardless of how long it takes to finalise a case.”
Source: https://dfa.co.za/news/2026-10-23-deben-rapist-jailed-13-years-after-attack-but-victim-died-before-sentencing/
