UNCLE AND NEPHEW SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR RAPE
Hopetown, Northern Cape – Abraham Syster (31) and his nephew Kobus Syster (25) have each been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Hopetown Regional Court after the court found them guilty on a charge of rape, of a 32-year-old victim. On 01 January 2024, the two accused who had been out celebrating the new year went to their home and when they arrived home, they realised there was no food. As they were hungry, they began hunting for food until they arrived at the victim’s home and saw that the door was open. Upon entering the victim’s house, they began ransacking the house and stealing food such as wors, mutton ribs, chicken wings, and a cellphone. Instead of leaving with their loot, they went to the bedroom where they saw the victim sleeping naked on the bed next to her boyfriend. The uncle and his nephew then took turns raping her while the other one kept a lookout. The victim, her boyfriend, and the accused were drinking together on New Year’s celebrations when the complainant and her boyfriend went to sleep.
A case of rape and theft was reported to the police and the accused were arrested after diligent investigative work by the investigation team. They were both linked with DNA to the crime. The accused were granted bail of R500 each but could not afford it and was in custody till the finalization of the case. During the trial, the prosecution in reinforcing its case against the accused used the Victim Impact Statement compiled with the assistance of Ms Dineo Speak, in which the victim detailed how the rape had affected her life. How the accused had victimised her and how she felt violated by their actions.
In aggravation of the sentence, Regional Court Prosecutor Nicola van Niekerk highlighted the seriousness of the offence, the interest of the community as well as the psychological trauma suffered by the complainant. About a suitable sentence, the prosecutor argued that the only suitable sentence for the accused was that of life imprisonment as there were no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence.
In sentencing, the court found both accused guilty of one count of rape and one count of theft. The court sentenced Abraham Syster who had he had a previous conviction for rape and housebreaking and theft was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and 12 months direct imprisonment for theft. His nephew, Kobus Syster had a previous conviction of assault GBH and was also sentenced to life imprisonment for theft he was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment by the court.
The National Prosecuting Authority remains committed to the fight against the scourge of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) particularly against women and children.
