Two accused in a Ladysmith rape case were recently sentenced by the Ezakheni Regional Court to lengthy prison terms.
The conviction stems from an incident which started on July 31, 2013, and ended on August 1, 2013.
A 22-year-old woman was standing in Illing Road, waiting for transport to take her to Steadville, when two men robbed her and then dragged her to a shack situated behind Illing Road. Sadly, members of the community saw this happening and did nothing to help.
A short while later, after the woman failed to arrive in Steadville, her boyfriend came looking for her. He was told by people in the area that they had seen her being dragged off to the nearby shacks. The boyfriend and another member of the community went in search of the woman, calling out her name.
The woman heard her boyfriend calling and managed to shout out to him before the suspects could silence her. The boyfriend kicked open the shack door and rescued her.
While the woman ran to the police station to report the matter, the boyfriend and the community member who was helping him managed to overpower and tie up the two suspects with ropes. As they were marching the two suspects to the police station, they were met by police officers along the way. The two rapists were promptly arrested and remained in custody until their case was finalised in court on Tuesday this week.
24-year-old Ntokozo Prosperity Hlatshwayo was sentenced to 1 year imprisonment for robbery and 20 years for rape. 38-year-old Nkosinyiphile Raphael Mvelase was sentenced to 1 year for robbery and 15 years for rape. Both accused were declared unfit to possess a firearm.
The case was investigated by Constable NR Mazibuko of the Ladysmith Family Violence, Child Protection & Sexual Offences Unit (FCS).
