A bench of Supreme Court of Appeal judges has overturned the verdicts and sentences handed down in separate cases by a Limpopo judge to two convicted rapists, Beeld reported on Wednesday.

The appeal court judges found, in both cases, that "serious irregularities" and "ignorance" had occurred on the part of Judge K Hetisani, who had heard the cases in the Thohoyandou High Court in Limpopo.

In the first case, Tshifhiwa Nemavhola was immediately released.