57-Year-Old Man Gets Life Imprisonment For Raping A Mentally Challenged Teen

A South African 57-year-old man from Gqeberha has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a mentally challenged teenager.

Following the rape in March of last year, Mtutuzeli Mazele was found guilty and given a sentence in the Gqeberha Regional Court this week.

On March 21, 2022, the mentally challenged 15-year-old victim visited someone in Kuyga, according to police spokesman Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg.

“When the woman in the house fell asleep, the accused lured the victim to the kitchen where he undressed and raped her. 

"While the accused was busy, a witness arrived at the house and peeped through the keyhole and saw what the accused was doing,” Janse van Rensburg said.

“The rape was immediately reported to the victim’s family. The accused was arrested that same evening,” she said.

Major General Vuyisile Ncata, the district police commissioner for Nelson Mandela Bay, hailed the sentence.

“As we have just commemorated Child Protection Week, we need to place emphasis on raising awareness on the protection of our children against abuse, exploitation, negligence and all forms of violence.

“Rapists such as Mazele took advantage of a helpless young teenager and it is time for all of us to act together to stop the abuse,” Ncata said.