The woman, who was aged 73 at the time of the rape, gave details of a scar that looked like a burn mark behind Sibusiso Gift Zwane’s ear. She had seen this mark up close when he had raped her.
Durban — A 30-year-old man, Sibusiso Gift Zwane, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Madadeni Regional Court for the rape of an elderly woman in November 2017 in the Osizweni area, northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Zwane was handed an additional two-year sentence for housebreaking with intent to commit an offence unknown to the State.
National Prosecuting Authority KZN spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said that on the night of the rape, the woman, who was aged 73 at the time, was in her house when Zwane broke in. The woman asked Zwane what he was doing there, but he did not respond and then raped her. At some time, the woman escaped and called her daughter and the two saw Zwane leaving the woman’s house.
Ramkisson-Kara said the woman was taken to the police station and a case was opened. She was also taken to the Madadeni Thuthuzela Care Centre for medical and psycho-social assistance.
In court, Prosecutor Cindy Alberts led the testimony of the complainant and her daughter, and medical evidence relating to the rape charge. Zwane, through his legal representative, attempted to cast doubt on the complainant’s testimony by saying that her eyesight must be poor due to her age.
However, the complainant was able to give details of a scar that looked like a burn mark behind Zwane’s ear. She had seen this mark up close when he had raped her.
“Zwane was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and a further two years imprisonment for the housebreaking. The court ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders, and he was declared unfit to possess a firearm,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
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