Forensic evidence secures 16‑year sentence in Northern Cape hitchhiking rape and robbery

THE Kakamas Regional Court sentenced Duanne Adams, 33, to 16 years and six months’ imprisonment for the robbery and rape of a 20‑year‑old woman who was hitchhiking from Augrabies to her home.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Northern Cape spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the offences were committed during the early hours of 30 September 2024. “The accused approached her at a hitchhiking spot and offered to walk with her for part of the way, as she was not familiar with the area. During the walk, the accused betrayed the complainant’s trust, threatened her with a knife, and forcibly dragged her to a secluded area where he raped her. He then robbed her of her personal belongings, including her necklace, before fleeing the scene.”

“Despite the severe trauma she endured, the complainant displayed remarkable courage by reporting the matter to the police without delay and pointing out the crime scene to investigators.”

He added that police recovered a used condom and the complainant’s necklace at the scene. “The condom was submitted for forensic analysis, which conclusively linked the accused to the commission of the offence. During the trial, the accused raised a defence of consent, which the court decisively rejected as false and inconsistent with the objective evidence. State prosecutor Mannini Selai presented a compelling case through the testimony of the complainant and investigating police officials, supported by forensic evidence. The accused’s guilt was proven beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Senokoatsane said Selai argued that the accused deliberately preyed on a defenceless, young woman, abused a position of trust, employed violence and intimidation, and demonstrated a complete lack of remorse. “She further submitted that there were no substantial and compelling circumstances justifying a deviation from the prescribed minimum sentence. The court agreed and imposed the prescribed sentence, affirming that sexual violence constitutes a grave violation of human dignity and that firm, deterrent sentences are essential in addressing South Africa’s persistent gender‑based violence and femicide (GBVF) crisis.”

He believed the sentence of 15 years’ direct imprisonment for rape, with an additional 18 months’ imprisonment for robbery, demonstrates the NPA’s commitment to combating GBVF and sexual offences. “Perpetrators who target women and vulnerable persons must be held fully accountable through the criminal justice system,” he said.