Man sentenced to 40 years in jail for rape of 76-year-old woman

A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to 40 years in jail for raping an elderly woman in Polokwane.

David Zamikhaya Mbungendlu appeared in the Polokwane High Court on Monday, where the hefty sentence was handed down.

Mbungendlu was found guilty of housebreaking with the intent to steal and theft, robbery aggravated and rape.

During court proceedings, the court heard how Mbungendlu in December 2022 forced open a window and gained entry to the house.

Rape

Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba the 76-year-old woman was in the bathroom when she found Mbungendlu in her room.

“He demanded money, and she gave him a handbag. After searching the handbag, he found R400. He took it and forcefully pushed the victim onto the bed, strangled her and raped her. The accused demanded house keys before fleeing the scene.”

Ledwaba said the incident was reported to the police, and a case of housebreaking with intent to steal and theft, robbery aggravated and rape was opened at Vaalwater Saps.

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Sentence

Through intelligence driven operation and Modimolle flying squad, the accused was traced and arrested on Friday, 17 November 2023 at his residence in Vaalwater. The magistrate opposed bail and the accused remained in custody until he was convicted.

He was sentenced as follows:

• Count 1: Housebreaking with the intent to steal and theft: the accused was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
• Count 2: Robbery aggravated; the accused was sentenced to five years imprisonment. 
• Count 3: Rape; the accused was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment.
• Counts 1 and 2 will run concurrently with count three. Five years suspended, effective 20 years imprisonment.”

Investigations

The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, applauded the investigating officer, Warrant Officer Frances Kruger, and her team for all the hard work that resulted in the hefty sentence.

“This sentence should serve as a deterrent to others that the arm of the law is long and the perpetrator of gender-based violence has no space in our society,” said Hadebe. 

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