Thabo Nkomo, who repeatedly raped a sick woman, has been convicted of the crime and sentenced to life behind bars.
The 32-year-old Nkomo appeared at the Nelspruit sexual offences court in Mpumalanga on Thursday where his fate was sealed.
The spokesperson for the director of public prosecutions (DPP), Monica Nyuswa, said Nkomo and an unknown accomplice had offered to take the woman to the hospital when they noticed that she was not feeling well.
Instead, said Nyuswa, they took advantage of her ill-health and accosted her to an old building where they raped her repeatedly.
“The victim was on her way home from a nearby mall when she felt sick and decided to walk to Rob Ferreira Hospital,” said Nyuswa.
“Along the way, the convict approached her with an unknown man and they offered to help the victim. Instead, they took her to a nearby old building and raped her repeatedly. After the incident, the co-perpetrator fled the scene.”
A report from the office of the DPP further revealed that during his escape, the co-perpetrator came across members of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) and snitched on his friend.
“He didn’t confess that he was a part of the rape, so the SANDF members [allowed him to leave and] rushed to the scene where they found both the convict and victim.”
Nkomo pleaded not guilty to the offence, telling the court that he and the victim were in a relationship and that she consented to having sex with him. However, the evidence before the court and witness reports by members of the SANDF sealed his fate.
While welcoming the harsh sentence meted out, the National Prosecuting Authority also expressed frustration with the rising number of gender-based violence.
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