Man gets 8 years for raping ex-girlfriend
A MAN was sentenced to eight years imprisonment by the Kimberley Regional Court for raping his former girlfriend after he claimed to have bought her “gemmer”, a home-made beer, in return for sexual favours.
Petrus Voorbui, 52, who denied the allegations against him, said that his 53-year-old ex-girlfriend had promised him a “stukkie” (a piece) after he had asked her what she would give him in return for the beer.
According to Voorbui, the two had been drinking at the complainant’s neighbour’s house in Greenpoint on March 5, 2017.
He said that the complainant had promised to compensate him with sexual favours in return for the beer.
Voorbui said that he had followed the complainant to her house after they had finished drinking the beer and found her undressing herself in her bedroom.
He said, however, that he abandoned his plans to have intercourse with her after he saw her tearing her underwear.
Magistrate Cordelia Kgopa pointed out that while Voorbui had claimed from the onset that he had not raped the woman, the medical report indicated that she had experienced bruising on her private parts.
“According to the testimony of the doctor who examined the complainant, the external parts of the complainant’s private parts were sore to the touch. There were bruises and tears were also visible. The doctor also noted that the underwear of the complainant had been torn,” said Kgopa.
She added that the complainant had denied Voorbui’s claim that he had bought her alcohol in return for sexual favours.
“The complainant said she was drinking at the neighbour’s house on the day. The accused came and joined her. She said she later left for home as she was getting intoxicated. She said that she went home to sleep and saw the accused standing in the door of her bedroom. They then wrestled and the accused tore her underwear off and had rough intercourse with her on the mat.
“She reported the incident to ‘Willem’, a man who was staying in the house with her, and they went to the police to report the matter.”
Kgopa said that the defence had never disputed that the woman’s underwear was torn, or that she reported the matter to the police and to Willem.
“The accused only repeatedly said that he never had intercourse with the complainant. He said the complainant tore her underwear herself and that he left, claiming that he did not want to be accused of rape. It was only during cross-examination that the accused said he followed the complainant home to get a ‘piece’.”
Kgopa added that while the complainant may have been drunk on the day of the incident, she was able to tell the court how and where the incident occurred.
“She was able to open a case with the police against the accused and she even went to search for the accused with the police. The complainant was clear and coherent.
“I cannot say the same about the accused as he could not explain how the complainant got the tears and bruises on her private parts if he did not have sexual intercourse with her.
“The evidence of the complainant makes more sense and is more truthful, hence the version of the accused is rejected,” said Kgopa.