Sinethemba Xilongile will spend the rest of his life behind bars after he was found guilty of two counts of rape and sentenced to life in jail by the Butterworth regional court.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the 30-year-old raped two women aged 17 and 18 in July 2019 before fleeing the area.
Luxolo Tyali, NPA spokesperson in the Eastern Cape, said the victims were walking from a traditional ceremony in Mputhi area in the district of Dutywa.
“Xilongile had been attending the same ceremony and followed the victims as they were leaving. He threatened them with a knife and directed them to the nearby mealie fields,” said Tyali.
“He tied them to one another and raped them repeatedly. He released the younger victim, and upon getting home she reported her ordeal to her sister. Xilongile took the older victim to his home, where he raped her again.
“She only managed to escape when someone came knocking on the door of the rapist’s home. She ran to her home and immediately reported the rape to her sister.”
Both victims opened the rape cases in 2019 but Xilongile was only arrested in May 2022.
“He returned to the area after being on the run since committing the crimes. During the trial, Xilongile pleaded not guilty and claimed to have been in a romantic relationship with the 18-year-old victim.
“The court found the evidence of the victims and that of their sisters, to whom they reported the rapes, credible.”
Eastern Cape director of public prosecutions Barry Madolo commended the prosecutor and the investigating officer for ensuring that the case is swiftly dealt with.
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