A 32-year-old man, Petros Mfanimpela Ngwenya of Thembisa Trust in Pienaar, was sentenced to two life terms and 40 years imprisonment for rape and robbery with aggravating circumstances by the Nelspruit Regional Court.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority, Ngwenya was convicted on three counts of rape, one of which is a minor, and two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
During May 2017 to April 2019, he would target his victim’s late in the afternoon, befriend them until they gained his trust. He would lure them to secluded areas around KaBokweni, drag them to the bushes and rape them.
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“In one incident, on April 27, 2019, a 22-year-old victim was walking alone when she came across Ngwenya. He assaulted her, dragged her to the bushes and raped her more than once. He further took the victim’s handbag, two cellphones, cash amount of R16.00 and fled the scene, leaving the victim in the bushes. As the victim made her way out the bushes, a police bakkie appeared and she flagged it down to report the incident. The victim was able to identify Ngwenya to the police and he was later found with the victim’s cellphones. DNA samples were taken and Ngwenya was positively linked to other crimes,” said the NPA spokesperson, Monica Nyuswa.
In court, he pleaded guilty to all the charges. Prosecutor Rendani Nthangeni, called the victims to testify in aggravation of sentence about the ordeal and the impact of the incident.
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Ngwenya was sentenced to life imprisonment in respect of the rape of a minor and another life sentence for raping a 22-year-old. He was also sentenced to10 years imprisonment for another separate rape case.
He was handed down a further 15 years imprisonment on each count of robbery with aggravating circumstances. Ngwenya was declared unfit to possess a firearm and the court ordered his name to be entered into the National Register for Sexual Offenders.
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