Two men sentenced for raping 14-year-old girl

THE NORTHERN Cape SAPS has welcomed the sentence that were recently handed down to two Calvinia men for raping a minor.

Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Sergio Kock said that on the evening of November 6, 2022, a 14-year-old girl was returning home from a tuck shop when she encountered the two men. They accompanied her before later forcibly dragging her into a nearby field, where they took turns raping her.

The perpetrators, Janere Rossouw, 28, and Randall Snyders, 21, were apprehended on the same day and remained in custody until their sentencing.

Kock explained that both accused pleaded guilty to the charges on April 19 and were sentenced by the Calvinia Regional Court. Rossouw was handed a sentence of 20 years imprisonment, with five years suspended for a period of five years. Snyders received an 18-year sentence, with six years suspended for five years.

The provincial commissioner of the Northern Cape, Lieutenant-General Koliswa Otola, praised Detective Warrant Officer Charl Blignaut of the Calvinia Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit for his meticulous investigation.

The commissioner highlighted that the rigorous inquiry was instrumental in securing these “outstanding” sentences in a GBVF (gender-based violence and femicide) case.