Man sneaked into his friend’s home, raped his friend’s wife after leaving husband at place of entertainment

Police in Mpumalanga have welcomed a sentence of 10 years behind bars handed down by the Lydenburg Regional Court to a 39-year-old man who was convicted for raping his friend’s wife.

The name of the convicted rapist is withheld in an effort to protect the identity of the raped woman.

The court heard that in May 2022, a group of four friends, including one woman who was 44-years-old at the time, came together for some drinks after a funeral in Lydenburg.

“The victim (the woman) felt tired and decided to call it a day. They all got into a car and dropped her at home. Thereafter, they went back for entertainment and the house was locked by the victim’s husband,” said Mpumalanga provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli.

During trial, the court heard that the 39-year-old man decided to return to the house where they had dropped his friend’s wife – leaving his friend at the entertainment place.

He managed to get hold of the house keys, then he proceeded into the room where the woman was asleep.

“It was during this time when the accused raped the victim,” said Mdhluli.

The incident was subsequently reported to the police and the specialized family violence, child protection and sexual offences (FCS) unit was assigned to probe.

The investigation was conducted and it led to the arrest of the 39-year-old man.

“The man appeared in court on several occasions before he was convicted and, at the end, he received the 10 years direct imprisonment on Monday, October 28 2024,” said Mdhluli.

“Thanks to the Lydenburg Regional Court for ensuring that the man gets what he deserves.”

Meanwhile, acting provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi has saluted the “exceptional work” done by investigators, prosecutors, and members of the judiciary who handled the sensitive case.

“We are definitely addressing the scourge of gender-based-violence and we are delighted whenever perpetrators of these heinous crimes are removed from the society for a very long time like in this case,” said Mkhwanazi.

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