GIYANI - Two residents of Jokong village Mr Patrick Mokweva (19) and Jeffrey Rasehlapa (19) will each spend the next twelve years in jail for rape. Their case was finalised in the Giyani Regional Court on Monday.

The incident relating to the case took place at Jokong Village near Giyani during the night of April 21 last year at about 22:00. The court heard that the 14-year old victim was on her way back home from watching television movies at her friend’s home when the incident took place. Along the way she met the accused.

The court also heard that one of the accused, Mokweva, grabbed the victim by the hand. She was then forced to accompany the accused to the nearby bushes. She, however, refused to follow the instructions and one of the accused then produced a knife and threatened kill her, if she did not want to have sexual intercourse with them.

Realising that her life was in danger, the victim succumbed. On arrival in the bushes one of the accused pulled off the victim’s underwear and they raped her repeatedly throughout the night.

The matter was reported to the police the following morning. The accused were arrested two days after the incident. The case was remanded several times before it was transferred to the Regional Court.