Durban - A 36-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison by the Durban Regional Court for repeatedly raping a 30-year-old woman in the Sydenham area of Durban.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said Mxolisi Qasha committed the offence in February 2019.
On the day of the incident, Ramkisson-Kara said, the complainant was with her friend, when Qasha approached them.
“He started assaulting her friend, accusing her of calling him a ‘Mpondo’.
“When the complainant realised that Qasha spoke isiXhosa like her, she intervened, hoping to appease the situation, and asked her friend to run away,” she said.
She said Qasha then pulled out a knife and asked the complainant to go with him back to his house.
“There he raped her three times, before letting her go,” she said.
Ramkisson-Kara said the victim immediately reported the incident to her sister and they went to the police.
“Qasha was arrested soon after, as the complainant was able to identify him,” she said.
In aggravation of sentence, the Regional Court prosecutor Buyile Sikhosana used DNA evidence directly linking Qasha to the offence.
Sikhosana also submitted a Victim Impact Statement compiled by the complainant and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer, Nondumiso Nyembe.
“In her statement, she said that she had to leave her job and go back to her home province as she is still afraid of Qasha. She is also fearful of being alone and has constant flashbacks of the incident,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
She said Qasha was sentenced accordingly, and the court declared him unfit to possess a firearm.
“The NPA welcomes this successful prosecution and we commend the work done by the prosecution and the SAPS. We hope that sentences of this nature have the necessary deterrent effect,” said Ramkisson-Kara.