SAPS is content with the life sentences and lengthy sentences handed down to suspects of rape and sexual offences. The sentences are a result of the quality investigative skills adopted by our Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Detectives and a reflection of the SAPS stance against crimes against women and children.
Thirty nine (39) life sentences and 950 years of imprisonment were handed down to rape and sexual offences suspects from various parts of the Eastern Cape from 1 January 2020 to 30 November 2020.
The Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lt Gen Liziwe Ntshinga commended FCS Detectives for thoroughly investigating the cases and presenting well prepared dockets to court which led to the successful prosecution of the rapists. “The diligent work by FCS members played a crucial role in securing these sentences and making sure that perpetrators of these offenses are removed from the society. In the same light, we hope that the victims and their families will derive strength from the fact that those who inflicted such painful experience in their lives, have been jailed for a long time” said Lt Gen Ntshinga.
•39-year-old Monwabisi Mbonyuza from Thembeni location, King Williams Town was convicted and sentenced to undergo 4 life terms and 97 years for eight counts of rape and 3 counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances at Bisho High Court on 5 November 2020.
Mbonyuza was sentenced for rapes and a spree of robberies committed in the Zwelitsha and Bisho areas from July 2011 to September 2015 where it is alleged he raped eight females aged between 14 and 21.
His modus operandi was to approach people walking at night, point them with a firearm and rob them their cellphones and belongings. He continued his spree and the cases were undetected until he was identified through DNA linkage and arrested on 13 June 2019.
•The efforts of our investigator were rewarded when Ongeziwe Mtshizana, 27 was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and three (3) years for kidnapping. The sentences will run concurrently.
It is alleged that on 1 May 2017, a 16-year-old mentally challenged girl was with her mother at Fobani Location, Mount Fletcher at about 18:00 and she left the house to the outside toilet and never come back. The frantic mother tried to look for her in vain. The following morning the victim was seen coming out of the suspect’s home and she told her mother that the suspect kept the whole night against her will while he continues to rape her.
The matter was immediately reported to the police and the case was assigned to FCS for further investigation. D/ Sgt Nombuyiselo Mabungendlu worked tireless investigating the case until the suspect was arrested on 05 May 2017. The suspect was granted bail and he went back and forth to court until he was sentenced to three (3) years imprisonment for kidnapping and life imprisonment for rape on 3 November 2020 at the Mount Fletcher Regional Court.
•Ndumiso Ntsizi, aged 53, from Mlungisi, Queenstown (Komani) was convicted and sentenced by the Grahamstown High Court to one (1) life imprisonment for rape, 10 years for attempted murder, 5 years for assault GBH and 12 months for assault on 17 November 2020.
Ntsizi was found guilty for raping a 28 year old woman from 2008-2018 while they stayed together. The judge meted a life sentence for continued rape from 2008-2018. Ten years sentence was meted for attempted murder since the suspect raped the victim knowing that he was already HIV positive. Five years were handed for assault GBH for an incident where the victim was severely assaulted by the suspect which left her with a broken arm. This allegedly happened after she was found to be romantically involved with a young man of her same age by suspect. Another 12 months sentence was meted for an assault incident that happened in 2018 where the victim was taken to a forest and severely assaulted with thorny sticks.
•Adolf Vita aged 30, a foreign national was found guilty for the murder, rape and assault. The sentence were as follows, three counts of 25 years for murder, 20 years for rape and 5 years for assault GBH. Counts 2 and 3 to run concurrently with count 1.
The sentence follows an incident on 2 September 2019 when information was received about discovery of a body of a woman estimated at 30 years old from Rabula Location.
Local detectives established that the deceased was together with another lady on 31 August 2019, three days before her death. It was through that witness that police established that the accused initially stabbed the witness before he forcefully took the deceased to a nearby forest. That is where he raped and killed her. On further investigation, it was further established that suspect had already fled to Border Post area in King William’s Town, in an attempt to leave the country. He was traced at Border Post but couldn’t be found and later arrested at Quzini, King William’s Town.
•The Mqanduli 21-year-old male, Vuyolwethu Ntsimbi was convicted and sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for a rape that occurred at Kroza location, Mqanduli on the 29 December 2019. It is alleged the suspect forced himself to the 67-year-old victim and raped her outside her house. A case of rape was opened and a day later suspect was arrested.
•Who can forget the Mdantsane serial rapist, Malibongwe Ncokolo (46) who was sentenced to 7 life sentences and 300 years imprisonment by the Bisho High Court on 6 November 2020.
Ncokolo, whose arrest on 07 June 2017 signalled an end of reign of terror for many Mdantsane girls and women, is alleged to have been responsible for repeated rape onslaught with impunity since 2014 until his arrest in 2017. He was charged for 41 counts as follows;
1. Murder – 3 counts
2. Rape – 19 counts
3. Theft – 3 counts
4. Sexual assault – 3 counts
5. Assault to do grievous bodily harm – 9 counts
6. Assault – 4 counts
Judge Belinda Stretcher who was presiding over the trial sentenced Ncokolo on 6 November 2020 at Bisho High court as follows:-
• Count 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 Rape charges -20 years
• Count 9 Repeated rape- 25 years.
• Count 10 rape of 13 year old-life
• Count 11 rape and murder-two life sentences taken as one
• Count 12 Rape 20 years
• Count 14 Rape of 14 years old minor
• Count 15 Rape – 20 years
• Count 18, 19, 20 & 21 where four minors were involved-life sentence
• Count 23 Rape of 13 years old minor-life
• Count 25 Rape – 20 years
• Count 26 Rape of 11 year old- life
• Count 30 & 32 Rape 20 years each
• Count 34 Theft- 5 years
• Count 35 murder- 25 years
• Count 37 Murder – life
• Count 38 Rape – 20 years
• Count 39 Rape of 14 years old minor-life
• Count 40 Theft -5 years
SAPS also continues to protect the victims of Gender based Violence and Domestic Violence. This was quantified by the 11 620 Protection Orders that were received and served on the respondents form 1 January 2020 to 30 November 2020.
The Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Liziwe Ntshinga commended FCS Detectives for thoroughly investigating the cases and presenting well prepared dockets to court which led to the successful prosecution of the rapists. “The diligent work by FCS members played a crucial role in securing these sentences and making sure that perpetrators of these offenses are removed from the society. In the same light, we hope that the victims and their families will derive strength from the fact that those who inflicted such painful experience in their lives, have been jailed for a long time” said Lt Gen Ntshinga.
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