A gender-based violence activist is urging the courts to impose tougher and swifter sentences for sex offenders, saying harsher punishment would act as a powerful deterrent and deliver justice more quickly to victims.
Dr Nadia Bernon, from the Rapid Response Team on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, welcomed the recent sentencing of Muzikhona Mthethwa at the Mtunzini High Court in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Mthethwa was handed seven life sentences, along with an additional 155 years’ imprisonment, after being convicted of a string of violent crimes.
According to prosecutors, the 36-year-old began his crime spree in 2017 with an attack on a woman in KwaMbonambi. He was later found guilty of multiple offences including attempted murder, housebreaking, rape, robbery and assault committed in Richards Bay, Empangeni and surrounding areas.
While Bernon said the sentence sends a strong message, she expressed concern over lengthy delays in the justice system.
“I am not saying that we are not happy with the processes, but the processes are delayed,” she said. “Some rapists get sentenced years after the incident. What happens to the victim and their families in the meantime?”
She added that systemic backlogs, particularly in forensic testing, often slow investigations and arrests.
“At the laboratories, there’s a holdup with DNA testing because there’s so much backlog. While the victim is going on treatment and counselling, the rapists are still out there walking free and harming others while we are waiting for an arrest,” Bernon said.
She called for improved resources for police and greater support for survivors, arguing that quicker investigations and decisive sentencing are essential to restoring trust in the justice system.
For victims, she said, justice delayed can feel dangerously close to justice denied.