Steward Winston Marais, a convicted rapist from Bloemfontein, has been sentenced to 20 years behind bars.
This after he was found guilty of raping a 12-year-old girl while she was fetching fire wood.
The 36-year-old convict was apprehended after he escaped from custody and went to hide in a house a few metres away from the court.
According to the police, in July 2022 three girls aged between 10 and 12 years were out to cut and fetch wood in the veld.
Marais approached them and grabbed the victim, who was 11 years old at the time, and forced her to a secluded spot in the bushes where he raped her.
Police spokesperson Captain Stephen Thakeng said the other two girls ran home to report the incident, which was later reported to the police.
“A search was conducted and the suspect was found and arrested at his residence. The accused appeared before the Bloemfontein magistrate’s court and he managed to escape from lawful custody,” said Thakeng.
“He was rearrested the same day in one of the houses near the magistrate’s court. A charge of escape from lawful custody was added.”
He recently appeared in the Bloemfontein regional court and was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for rape and escape from lawful custody.
Meanwhile, Women for Change, a non-profit organisation that advocates and campaigns against gender-based violence and femicide, human rights, and gender equality has called on women to participate in a run/walk for all gender-based violence victims.
The virtual race will take place in August where every kilometre covered will be dedicated to one of the 3 914 women murdered or raped between April 2022 and March 2023.
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