A serial rapist who targeted six women is among three sex offenders handed lengthy prison terms, including life imprisonment, by the Umzimkhulu Regional Court in KwaZulu-Natal.

In the first case, the court found Tenes Hassan (33) guilty of raping six women in the Harry Gwala District Municipality between January and December 2022 on Wednesday 30 September.

In all six cases, Hassan broke into houses where women were staying by themselves or with their children, demanding cellphones and money before raping them.

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The Kokstad Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit detectives investigated the cases and collected evidence that linked Hassan to all six rapes through DNA testing.

Hassan was sentenced to six life terms for the rapes and an additional eight years in prison for housebreaking. His name will be entered in the National Register of Sexual Offenders.

The provincial police department referred to Hassan as a “cold-blooded sex pest” who pounced on his victims mostly between 02:00 and 03:00.

In a second case, the Kokstad FCS Unit secured a life sentence for a 45-year-old man who raped his five-year-old niece in the Gowan Lea policing precinct of Umzimkhulu on 28 December 2025.

The child was playing at her neighbour’s house when the uncle called her to his house. The victim’s brother followed, but the uncle chased him away and raped the child.

In a third matter before the court, a 19-year-old woman was sentenced to 20 years’ direct imprisonment after being found guilty of raping her nine-year-old neighbour in the Ibisi area.

The woman called the victim to her room, where she instructed the child to undress and raped her with her fingers.

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