Man sentenced to life for raping ex-lover in Numbi
Above and beyond the life sentence, Witness Solly Ngomane received an additional seven years' imprisonment for biting off the victim’s tongue.
Witness Solly Ngomane (24) was sentenced in the Nelspruit Sexual Offences Court recently to a lifetime in prison for rape and seven years for assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
He was found guilty of raping and strangling his ex-lover in Salubindza Trust in Numbi in 2018, and of biting her tongue off beforehand.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority’s spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Monica Nyuswa, Ngomane pleaded not guilty to all charges. However, the court found all state witnesses reliable and credible.
“The state prosecutor, John Mahlwele, led the testimonies of the doctor who admitted the victim, and the forensic nurse who examined her,” Nyuswa said.
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“The victim came across Ngomane while on her way to meet her boyfriend on May 25, 2018. Ngomane stood in front of her to block her way. He dragged her to a nearby abandoned house, strangled her and bit her tongue off,” Nyuswa said.
“He then gave her a bottle of a ‘love potion’ concoction to drink while ordering her to undress, and proceeded to rape her. Ngomane took the victim to a nearby river to wash after spending the night with her,” she said.
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Nyuswa said the victim went home in the morning, unable to speak. “She signalled to her mother for a pen and paper to alert her about the ordeal. Her parents went to the crime scene and found the piece of tongue on the ground. The victim was taken to hospital for medical attention,” Nyuswa said.
