Griekwastad Family Friend Jailed 15 Years for Rape After Court Rejects Consent Defence
A man who betrayed the trust of a family that had welcomed him into their home has been sentenced to 15 years’ direct imprisonment after the Griekwastad Regional Court found him guilty of raping a 21-year-old woman at knifepoint.
The sentence, handed down on 13 July 2026, brings to a close a case that exposed the devastating consequences of sexual violence committed by someone known to the victim. The court also declared Gino September unfit to possess a firearm.
According to Northern Cape National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane, the attack took place on the evening of 5 July 2025 at the complainant’s parental home at Heuningkrans Lodge in Griekwastad.
September, who had been a family friend for about six years, spent the evening visiting the household before the family retired to bed, leaving him and the complainant watching television in the dining room.
The court heard that September unexpectedly declared his love for the young woman. She immediately rejected his advances. He then asked her to have sexual intercourse with him, but she again refused and instructed him to leave the house.
Instead, the court heard, September produced a knife, threatened to stab her, ordered her to remove her clothes, forced her onto a couch and raped her without her consent.
DNA evidence later linked him directly to the crime.
During the trial, September pleaded not guilty and maintained that the sexual encounter had been consensual. However, prosecutor Mothelesi Katlego Thothela presented evidence that the court found compelling, including the complainant’s testimony, the evidence of the first person she reported the rape to, medical findings contained in the J88 report and DNA evidence.
Despite the emotional toll of reliving the attack, the complainant testified throughout the proceedings after receiving extensive support from Court Preparation Officer Lindokuhle Sikhakhane, who conducted multiple preparation sessions to help her navigate the trial process.
In its judgment, the court described the complainant as a credible and reliable single witness whose evidence remained consistent throughout lengthy cross examination. It found that her version of events was corroborated by witness testimony, medical evidence and forensic DNA findings.
The court rejected September’s version of events as false beyond reasonable doubt and concluded that the State had proved that the complainant did not consent to the sexual act.
During sentencing proceedings, the prosecution submitted a Victim Impact Statement prepared with the assistance of Sikhakhane. The statement detailed the profound emotional and psychological harm suffered by the complainant, including the trauma of recounting the assault during the trial.
In aggravation of sentence, the State argued that rape is a serious and deeply harmful offence that leaves lasting emotional scars, strips victims of their dignity and violates their bodily integrity and privacy. Prosecutors also stressed that women have the constitutional right to dignity, privacy and security, particularly within the safety of their own homes.
The prosecution further argued that the offence was made even more serious because September had abused the trust placed in him by the complainant and her family, who had welcomed him into their home as a friend.
The court agreed with the State’s submissions and found that there were no substantial and compelling circumstances to justify departing from the prescribed minimum sentence.
September was sentenced to 15 years’ direct imprisonment and was declared unfit to possess a firearm.
