Man jailed for woman’s rape and murder

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes the sentence of life imprisonment, as well as 15 years’ imprisonment, handed down by the Port Shepstone Regional Court to Aphiwe Deyi (33), following his conviction for the rape and murder of a 52-year-old woman in Marburg, Port Shepstone, in June 2022.

On June 18, 2022, the body of the deceased was discovered with multiple stab wounds. The matter was reported to the police, who attended the scene.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the deceased had been raped before being murdered.

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Regional spokesperson of the National Prosecuting Authority, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, said, “As part of the investigation, a sexual assault evidence collection kit was obtained and sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for analysis. DNA evidence retrieved positively linked Deyi to the offence, and he was arrested while already in custody for another unrelated matter. In the state’s case, Prosecutor Wendy Ferreira led the evidence of the DNA report linking Deyi to the offence, as well as the testimony of the police officer who attended the scene. A medical doctor and forensic pathologist also testified on behalf of the state.”

Deyi was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and 15 years’ imprisonment for rape. The court sentenced him in terms of the prescribed minimum sentence for the offences.

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He was declared unfit to possess a firearm, and the court ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.

“The NPA welcomes the sentence and hopes it will send a strong message to would-be offenders and those who disregard the sanctity of human life and bodily integrity, that such conduct will be met with the full force of the law,” Ramkisson-Kara concluded.