Durban couple jailed for life after horrific torture of 10-year-old relative

A DURBAN couple who subjected a young girl to a horrific, two-year campaign of torture, starvation, and sexual degradation have been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Durban Regional Court.

- SIPHESIHLE BUTHELEZI

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the heavy sentences handed down to the 30-year-old man and his 30-year-old wife following their convictions on a string of harrowing charges including attempted murder of a minor, child abuse, child neglect, and intimidation.

The victim, who was just 10 years old when the nightmare began in 2021, is the biological sister of the wife. The couple can therefore not be named to protect the child's identity.

Following the death of her mother, she was taken in by the couple at their home in Welbedacht East, outside of Durban. Instead of finding a safe haven, the young child was trapped in a house of horrors until her escape in 2023.

NPA regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara detailed the extreme levels of violence the child endured, noting that the abuse intensified over the two-year period.

"On various occasions during this period, the complainant was beaten with a beer bottle until it broke, stabbed several times, and assaulted with a hammer, broomstick, or vice-grip," Ramkisson-Kara said.