Two biological brothers have been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment each, without an option of a fine for repeatedly raping their 17-year-old half-sister.
The names of the perpetrators and that of the complainant are known to this publication but withheld to protect the survivor.
The brothers were sentenced by Manzini Principal Magistrate Florence Msibi yesterday at the Manzini Magistrate’s Court, after they were charged with rape, an offence they allegedly committed in December 2024 at Sidvokodvo. According to the survivor when leading evidence before court, she slept on the floor on a carpet in the sitting room with her half-brothers and they repeatedly took turns to rape her on several occasions, while threatening to kill her if she dared screamed or told anyone about the ordeal.
It is alleged that during committal of the offence, the complaint’s mother would be present, as she slept in another room in the same house, however she was not aware of what was happening, since the complainant was threatened, hence she kept quiet.
After suffering such traumatic abuse at the hands of her half-brothers, the compliant is said to have written a letter detailing the horrible experience she was subjected to.
Her mother is reported to have come across the letter while cleaning the sitting room early this year and then she confronted the survivor about the alleged abuse.
After a tell-it-all confession, the mother then rushed the survivor to the hospital, where the doctor confirmed that indeed she was sexually violated.
This resulted in the two brothers being arrested. They both pleaded guilty to the offence and were found guilty as charged.
They pleaded for a lenient sentence on grounds that they were remorseful and they would never commit an offence of this nature again.
Eswatini Observer Press Reader
