ZiMoja updates on the latest crime news in parts of the country.

GAUTENG: A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping his seven-year-old cousin on the eve of her mother's funeral. At the time of the rape, the man was on parole for the rape of the same child, who was five-years-old at the time.

NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the 27-year-old man from Atteridgeville was first sentenced to five years direct imprisonment for raping the same child and her 10-year-old sister in 2017. After serving only two years of his sentence in prison, he was released on parole in April 2019.

"After his release on parole, the man and the child were at their family home with the rest of their family, preparing for the funeral of her mother when she was sent to fetch water from a tap inside the yard. The man then snatched her, dragged her into his room and raped her. After the rape, the child reported the incident to the family, who in turn reported the matter to the police," Mahanjana said. The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, handed himself over at Atteridgeville Police Station and has been in custody since.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge; however, Mahanjana said the state was able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. State prosecutor advocate Dru Ramsamy asked the court to impose a sentence of life imprisonment and further argued that the man's previous conviction did not deter him from committing the same offence to the same child.

"The fact that the man committed the same offence while out on parole shows his disregard for the law. He violated the child in a most gruesome way while mourning the passing of her mother. As an older cousin, he was supposed to protect the child, instead, he raped her," Ramsamy told the court.

The court ordered that his name be added to the National Register for Sexual Offenders and the National Children's Register for him not to work with children.

KWAZULU NATAL: A former school teacher, Patrick Bheki Nkosi (60), was sentenced to life by the Vryheid Regional Court after he was found guilty of raping two boys. On the evening of 11 July 2019, two boy children, who were four and five years old at the time, were sent to the nearby shop when Nkosi called them into his house and raped both of them. After raping them, he gave them R2 and instructed them not to tell anyone.

The matter was reported to the police after one of the boy's mother inspected him after the child complained of a pain in his buttocks and told his mother of the rape ordeal. The man was arrested and remained in custody until the day of his sentencing. He was a teacher at the school the kids attended.

LIMPOPO: A 36-year-old undocumented foreign national who has been terrorising the community of Shirley village will appear in the Waterval Magistrate's Court today on charges of assault, attempted murder, house robbery and possession of suspected stolen properties. The suspect was arrested on Sunday at his house in the same village following an intelligence-driven joint operation. The man is also facing additional charges of violation of the Immigration Act. During the arrest, some of the properties believed to have been stolen during the crimes were recovered. The suspect will formally apply for bail today.