Durban — A 46-year-old man was recently sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of a 26-year-old woman in October 2020.
National Prosecuting Authority KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the Madadeni Regional Court had sentenced Zenzele Buthelezi, 46, to life imprisonment for the rape of a 26-year-old woman in October 2020. At the time, the woman was in a relationship with one of Buthelezi’s relatives.
Ramkisson-Kara said that on the night of the incident Buthelezi phoned the woman saying that his relative (her boyfriend) would be arriving home soon, and that she should come to their house. When she arrived there, she discovered that her boyfriend was not around. Buthelezi told her to wait a while. After some time, she decided to leave, and he then attacked her.
“He told her that she needs to repay him for all that his relative does for her, and hit her with an axe at the back of her head. He continued to assault and strangle her, causing her to sustain multiple injuries on her body.
“He then raped her. He eventually released her when she tricked him by promising that she would return. He was arrested a few days later.
“The woman was taken to the Madadeni Thuthuzela Care Centre, where she received medical and psycho-social assistance,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
She said that regional court prosecutor Nokubonga Prayer Samukelisiwe Buthelezi had led the evidence of the woman in court.
The prosecutor further submitted that Buthelezi had previously been convicted and sentenced for murder, and was out on parole when he committed the rape.
The State submitted that he clearly had no regard for the rule of law.
He was sentenced accordingly, Ramkisson-Kara said.
She said the NPA welcomed the successful finalisation of this matter, as it affirmed its commitment to curbing the scourge of gender-based violence.
The NPA also commended the work done by the prosecution and the SAPS.
Meanwhile, the Pietermaritzburg High Court sentenced a 27-year-old uncle, Nkanyiso Radebe, to three terms of life imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to the double rape and murder of his 7-year-old niece, Vumisile Emihle Nyawose, on February 12.
It is alleged that Radebe killed Nyawose after she said she would tell her grandmother about the rape.
In his plea, the uncle said that on the day of the incident he had been working at the child’s grandmother’s house, digging a pit toilet. At some point, the pick handle broke and the grandmother advised him that she would borrow another pick from her neighbour. He then asked her for money so that he could buy cigarettes from a nearby shop.
The child was also at the shop, as she had gone there to buy some items for her mother. On their way back home, he told the child to follow him, saying they would take a different route.
As they were walking home, he raped her twice. When he was finished, the child told him she was going to report him to her grandmother.
It was at this point he decided to kill her, strangling her until she stopped moving. He covered her body with some sand and returned to the house, where the grandmother asked him if he had seen the child.
Even though he said he had left her at the shop, some community members accompanied him to the police station, where he confessed to his actions and was arrested.
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