The 28-year-old Thobani Madida was found guilty by the Madadeni Regional Court on Thursday for raping the 23-year-old victim in 2018. The court heard how he barged into a house and forcefully dragged the woman out to rape her in the bushes.
In a police statement, it was also revealed that Madida had been terrorising the community of Blaawbosch, in Osizweni, KwaZulu-Natal for a long time.
He has been served with a hefty life sentence behind bars.
Police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said Madida repeatedly raped the victim in 2018 after he went to a residence at Blaawbosch and found the victim with her friends.
“Madida demanded to speak to the victim and when she refused he became violent. The homeowner reprimanded him and he stabbed him with a knife. While the neighbour was down, he dragged the victim out of the house and raped her in the bushes near the house,” said Ngcobo.
The victim was then taken to different locations where Madida continued to rape her until she managed to escape.
Before the sentence was handed down, the court heard that Madida was out on parole for attempted murder.
The court sentenced him to life imprisonment and a further eight years after he was found guilty of rape, assault and kidnapping.
According to statistics issued by the South African Police Service (SAPS), 185 women are violently assaulted in country daily. 43 037 rape cases were reported to the SAPS between April 2022 and March 2023.
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