Uncle sentenced to double life for raping his nieces

A 21-year-old man has been given two life sentences for the rape of his two nieces, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Friday.

The man was convicted and sentenced on Wednesday in the Eshowe Regional Court.

The girls, aged seven and eight, were raped at the Matsheketsheni Reserve, Sundumbili on March 13, while their mother was away.

The uncle was arrested on the same day the incident was reported.

The KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner, Lt-Gen Mmamonnye Ngobeni, welcomed the sentence.

"This will send a strong message to other culprits who target vulnerable women and children," she said.