A 31-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping an elderly Mpumalanga woman twice.
The sentence was passed by the Mhala Regional Court in Bushbuckridge on Tuesday.
The court heard that the man, Regiment Maluleke broke into the house of the old woman twice while she was asleep, severely assaulted and raped the 82-year-old woman. He threatened the old woman with a knife and raped her on two separate occasions near Hazyview, Mpumalanga, in 2017.
According to the police spokesperson, Brigadier Leonard Hlathi, the woman was reluctant to report the first case; however, after the second assault, she informed her neighbours.
“The matter was then brought to the attention of the police who opened two cases of rape. They managed to trace Maluleke and arrested him for the crimes. On 12 February, Maluleke was convicted of his crimes, hence his sentencing [on Tuesday],” Hlathi said.
Maluleke was also declared unfit to possess a firearm and his name will be entered into the register of sexual offenders.
