GQEBERHA – Two Gqeberha men will spend life behind bars for raping a 17-year-old girl in Gelvandale. The Gqeberha Regional Court found them guilty on 5 February of the crime committed in October 2023.
Following the rape, the 17-year-old girl soon discovered she was pregnant. She reported the assault to her mother in October 2023 after realising her condition. This disclosure led to the arrest of the accused.
Eastern Cape National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said the accused, aged 25 and 26 respectively, cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim.
Commenting on the case, Tyali said: “The court heard that the accused, who were neighbours of the complainant, lured her to a shack under false pretences. She was threatened with harm should she disclose the incident.”
Following the disclosure, the complainant and her family faced intimidation by the accused and their relatives, forcing them to leave their home for their safety. During the trial, the complainant and her mother testified.
Tyali revealed that DNA evidence linked one of the accused to the offence. “Both accused claimed that the sexual encounter was consensual, but the court rejected this version, finding it false and improbable,” he said.
The complainant reported that the trauma significantly disrupted her education and future aspirations of becoming a doctor.
Despite not having personally committed the sexual act, the second accused was also sentenced to life imprisonment. The court found that he acted in common purpose with the primary perpetrator, rendering him equally culpable.
The victim impact statement presented to the court highlighted the profound emotional, psychological and social effects of the rape on the complainant. The child born as a result of the assault is now cared for by the victim’s mother.
“The complainant reported that the trauma significantly disrupted her education and future aspirations of becoming a doctor,” Tyali added.
Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions Barry Madolo said: “This sentence underscores the seriousness with which our courts view sexual offences against children. It sends a clear message that all those who participate in such crimes, whether directly or indirectly, will be held fully accountable.”
This case comes amid growing concern about child sexual offences in the Eastern Cape. As previously reported, the provincial government issued an urgent call for communities to report such crimes after statistics revealed that 117 children aged between 10 and 14 years gave birth in public hospitals between April and July 2025.
The highest number of cases were recorded in OR Tambo District, followed by Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan areas, indicating a widespread crisis across the province’s major population centres.
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