Eastern Cape man sentenced to life for raping 84-year-old granny

A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for raping and robbing an 84-year-old granny at Mahibe location, in the Mthatha district.

Inganathi Ntwanambi appeared in the Mthatha Regional Court in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday where sentence was handed down.

In addition to two charges of rape and one of robbery, the court convicted Ntwanambi of housebreaking with intent to commit a crime but took all the charges as one sentence.

Trial  

During the trial, Ntwanambi pleaded not guilty even though he had admitted to having committed the crimes when he was arrested.

This necessitated that Regional Court Control Prosecutor Fumanekile Kandile lead the evidence of the granny that was assisted by the court preparation officer (CPO).

Magistrate Shylock Ndengezi found Ntwanambi to be an untruthful witness with “total disdain of law and the court,” and agreed that there were no substantial and compelling circumstances for deviating from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment.

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Rape

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Eastern Cape spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said the elderly woman, who had just received her monthly pension grant last year, was woken up by a knock on her door by Ntwanambi who introduced himself as her son.

“When she refused to open the door because she did not recognise the voice Ntwanambi kicked the door down, and upon entering, demanded R2 000. 

“She told him that she had already paid her debts and offered R500. The man counted the money and told her that because it was not enough, she had to pay the remainder with sex.  The man then proceeded to rape her before fleeing,” Tyali said.

Tyali added the granny reported the ordeal to her neighbours and was able to identify her attacker as one of the young men from her neighbourhood.

“When she saw him, she immediately recognised him and he started to apologise, claiming that he did not know what had gotten to him when he committed the crime.”

Tyali said Ntwanambi was later arrested and the elderly woman taken to Sinawe Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) for psychosocial and medical treatment.

Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Barry Madolo, commended the investigating officer, prosecutor and other officials for the meticulous collection and presentation of evidence, noting that the sentence reaffirmed the NPA’s commitment to the protection of the most vulnerable members of the society.

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