An Eastern Cape serial rapist, who attacked young schoolgirls boarding in private homes while he was wanted for the rape of his step-sister, has been sentenced to two life terms and 25 years’ jail.
The Mthatha Regional Court convicted the 32-year-old on three counts of rape and robbery with aggravating circumstances for crimes dating back to 2012.
Despite mounting evidence of complainants who positively identified him as well as DNA evidence, he still maintained his innocence, denying the rapes with no plausible explanation.
The long arm of the law caught up with him through DNA profiling after he was nabbed for shoplifting in Komani, formerly known as Queenstown, in 2022.
According to National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali, the police system picked up that he was a wanted person in Qumbu more than 300 kilometres away where he had allegedly committed at least four rapes.
“He had started his spate of rapes on his 12-year-old stepsister at their home on the night of December 2012.
He had come to his Notsweleba village home drunk and demanded sex from the domestic worker employed by his father and stepmother. When the older domestic refused he attacked his stepmother’s daughter and raped her. The young girl reported the rape to her mother the following day and she went to open a case,” said Tyali.
He ran to a neighbouring village’s Shawbury Mission near the district of Qumbu where he brought terror to pupils boarding at private homes.
“In the first incident, he accosted four scholars in the room they shared and threatened them with a knife.
“Three of the young girls managed to flee but he caught the eldest,19, and raped her before vanishing into the darkness of the night. Then in October 2014, he forced his way into a room rented by two girls by kicking the door down. One of the girls ran away but he (attacked) one ... and raped her at knifepoint before stealing her cellphone,” said Tyali.
When the trial commenced, one complainant in an incident to which the man was linked allegedly refused to testify, stating that she did not want to open wounds that were starting to heal.
According to Tyali, for that reason State advocate Bulelani Bidla did not proceed with that charge of rape.
Eastern Cape director of public prosecutions Barry Madolo commended the prosecutor and the investigating officer for their meticulous collection and presentation of evidence. He said the successful prosecution provided the long-awaited justice and closure to the victims and their families.
Molo Songololo director Patric Solomons said serial rapists who targeted young, vulnerable women must experience the full might of the law.
“Molo Songololo hopes that the survivors are able to focus on their healing journey and that they all are receiving appropriate support in this regard.”
Cape Times