A 28-year-old man was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Springs Magistrate’s Court on 3 March 2026 for the rape of a 13-year-old girl, following an investigation that utilized a key detail the victim overheard during the assault.
The court heard that on Saturday, 17 June 2023, at approximately 17:00, the victim was walking home from her grandmother’s residence when she was approached by an unknown man. The suspect grabbed her by the hand and forced her to an unknown address, where he raped her without using protection.
During the incident, the suspect’s phone rang. The victim reported that she heard the caller on the other end ask the suspect for his Facebook name, allowing her to obtain the suspect’s identity.
The crime was reported to the SAPS Kwa-Thema station. The case was assigned to Detective Warrant Officer Tebogo Lephoto of the Springs Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS).
Through a thorough investigation, Detective Warrant Officer Lephoto traced and arrested the accused, identified as Mlungisi Nxumalo, and successfully linked him to the crime. The Springs Magistrate’s Court subsequently found Nxumalo guilty and sentenced him to two decades behind bars.