AFTER MUM DISCOVERS CELLPHONE CHATS: LUKHOZI COP ARRESTED FOR RAPE, IMPREGNATING GIRL (17)

MBABANE - A 39-year-old old police officer has been arrested for allegedly raping and impregnating a 17-year-old girl at a police camp.

The police officer is attached to the Serious Crimes Unit (Lukhozi). Information gathered was to the effect that the survivor’s mother opened a case against the officer of the law, after she allegedly discovered cellphone conversations suggesting that her now pregnant daughter was in a love relationship with the police officer. It is said that *Sonto also furnished the police with the cellphone conversations between her daughter and the suspect at the time.

Investigations

It has been gathered that the police investigations led to the detention of Fanyana Dlamini (39) of Lozitha, who assisted them with information pertaining to the rape of the minor.
It is said that cellphones belonging to Dlamini and the minor, during the course of their investigations, were seized. The seized gadgets include Dlamini’s black Samsung Galaxy and a blue/black Hisense belonging to the minor.It is said that Dlamini was detained at Lobamba Police Station, pending his court appearance.Dlamini made his maiden appearance at the Mbabane Magistrates Court yesterday, charged with two counts under the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV) Act, 15/2018.

In the first count, Dlamini is accused of having contravened Section 3 (1), 3 (2), 3 (3) (c), 3(6) (e) as read with Section 3(9) (b) of the SODV Act of 15/2018. The section of the law, under which Dlamini was charged, carries a sentence of 25 years imprisonment for a first offender. It also carries a 30-year jail term for a subsequent offence. It is alleged that the officer exposed the minor, who in laws incapable of appreciating any act of a sexual nature, to sexually transmitted illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, during the commission of the alleged offence.
Dlamini has also been charged for maintaining a sexual relationship with the minor.

The Crown indicated that if convicted of the offence, Dlamini’s particulars would be included in the National Register for Sex Offenders. The Crown applied that Dlamini be remanded in custody until November 1, 2024, pending his committal to the High Court. The Crown further applied for the detention of the gadgets for further investigations.  Dlamini, through his lawyer, said he was not opposed to the application but sought clarity concerning the time frame of the collection of data from his cellphone. Senior Crown Counsel Chris Sibandze said he might not be sure of that.

He said the Crown will be in a position to respond on November 1, 2024. Dlamini was remanded in police custody until November 1, 2024, pending committal to the High Court. It is not the first time a police officer is accused of rape. Sometime last year, Sandile Sihlongonyane (37) appeared before Acting Magistrate Sifiso Ngwenya charged with the rape of two women.
According to his charge sheet, one of the survivors was raped on March 2022, while the other was raped on September 2023.

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