The Provincial Commissioner of the Western Cape, Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile has welcomed the two life sentences imposed by the Beaufort West Regional Court on Friday, 7 July 2023.
This is a result of meticulous investigation by the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) detectives who focus on gender based violence and femicide (GBVF) cases in the Central Karoo.
Investigation into a rape case reported to the Beaufort West police on 25 November 2017 indicates that at about 04:30 the victim (24) was asleep inside her residence at Zola Skeyiwa Drive when she was awoken by a noise. She later noticed someone fondling with her and a scuffle ensued.
The man stabbed the victim who sustained a stab wound to the head. He proceeded to violate the victim and fled the scene thereafter.
The victim managed to seek help from a neighbour who summoned police to the scene.
Crime scene experts combed the scene. The team found a knife and belt of the suspect as well as DNA on the scene. These items were all send to the Forensic Laboratory for analyses of which the results later positively linked Sindile April (26) to the rape.
Forensic analyses obtained also linked him to a rape case reported during 2019, also investigated by Constable Buyiswa Ngentu. He was arrested during 2019 and kept in custody ever since.
The accused was convicted and subsequently sentenced to two life imprisonment sentences on two counts of rape and 5 years for assault with the intent to commit grievous bodily harm.
Western Cape provincial commissioner had nothing but praise for the investigation and prosecuting teams who ensured a successful prosecution for the two rapes. Lt Gen Patekile said: “efforts to safeguard communities especially women and children remains key to the policing priorities of the province. These convictions and lengthy incarceration are evident that the implementation of CEPPAT is bearing fruit”, he concluded.
