3
22 years’ direct imprisonment. In addition, the trial court ordered that the
appellant’s details be included in the National Register for Sexual Offenders in
accordance with s 50(2)(a) of the Criminal Law Sexual Offences and Related
Matters Amendment Act 32 of 2007 (‘the Sexual Offences Act’).
[3]
The convictions all relate to a series of events which occurred over the period
January to March 2010, starting in a remote rural area of the Eastern Cape
and ending with the complainant fleeing from the appellant’s home in Philippi
near Cape Town and laying criminal charges against him.
Background
[4]
The facts which became common cause during the trial are succinctly set out
in the trial court’s judgment and we can do no better than to largely repeat
them, amplifying where we consider it necessary.
[5]
During December 2009 or early January 2010 the appellant, who was
28 years old at the time, departed from his residence in Phillippi for his home
village in the Eastern Cape with the specific intention of finding a girl or young
woman there in order to conclude a marriage in accordance with his custom.
His stated requirements were that the girl or young woman should be younger
than 18 years old because, over that age, she would likely have children. He
wanted a virgin. According to the appellant the ideal age for his chosen wife
was 16 years old.