The Butterworth Regional Court has sentenced 31-year-old Ayanda Sotyato to 25 years’ direct imprisonment after DNA evidence linked him to two rape incidents that occurred in Dutywa in 2022.
The first incident took place on 30 October 2022, when a 41-year-old woman was raped by an unknown man while walking home from a local tavern in the early hours of the morning. The case was initially opened by police but later closed after the suspect could not be identified.
In a separate incident on 7 December 2022, a 46-year-old woman was attacked in open fields while searching for traditional herbs. The attacker, armed with a bush knife, assaulted and raped the victim.
Both victims were taken to a Thuthuzela Care Centres, where forensic samples were collected. DNA analysis by the South African Police Service Forensic Science Laboratory later linked the same male DNA profile to both cases.
The investigation, led by Detective Warrant Officer Siyabulela Yeyana, identified Sotyato as a suspect. Buccal samples were taken and confirmed a DNA match, leading to his arrest on 16 September 2024.
Sotyato’s bail application was successfully opposed in the Dutywa District Court, and the matter was later transferred to the Butterworth Regional Court.
On 2 March 2026, the court convicted him on two counts of rape and sentenced him to an effective 25 years behind bars.
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