- Life Sentence for Convicted Rapist: Mervyn Stephen Lottering, aged 48, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of a 13-year-old girl in Lusikisiki in December 2018, highlighting the judiciary’s strict stance on sexual offenses.
- Details of the Crime and Trial: Lottering was arrested shortly after the attack in December 2018, and his trial at the Lusikisiki Regional Court was based on oral and forensic evidence, leading to his conviction.
- Legal Consequences and Sex Offender Registry: Apart from life imprisonment, Lottering was declared unfit to possess a firearm, and his details will be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders to prevent further offenses.
OR Tambo District Commissioner, Major General Norman Modishana, has welcomed the life sentence handed to 48-year-old Mervyn Stephen Lottering for the rape of a 13-year-old girl in Lusikisiki in December 2018.
On 31 December 2018, the victim was attacked and raped inside a spaza shop. Lottering was arrested the following day but later released on R1,000 bail. The Lusikisiki Regional Court accepted both oral and forensic evidence presented during the trial.
On Tuesday, 12 August 2025, the court sentenced Lottering to life imprisonment. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm, and his name will be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.
Major General Modishana praised the investigative work of Sergeant Qulu from the Port St Johns Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit, whose thorough evidence gathering secured the conviction.
