Vuyani Khetshane, a serial rapist from Lusikisiki in the outskirts of Eastern Cape, has been sentenced to three life terms.
This after the Lusikisiki regional court found him guilty on three separate counts of rape.
The 34-year-old was given a further five years for kidnapping, but the court ordered that it run concurrently with a life sentence.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Khetshane was arrested in June 2022 after he was linked to the rapes committed six years ago through DNA tests.
NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said in 2016, one of Khetshane’s victims who was 19 years old at the time, had gone to her classmate’s homestead in Jambeni location.
When the classmate was accompanying her back home, they met Khetshane, who volunteered to accompany the victim.
“The victim did not know him, however, her classmate did,” said Tyali.
“When they reached the home of the victim, Khetshane entered her room and forcefully took the keys and her cellphone before repeatedly raping her until the following morning. He then left.
“The teenager reported the rape to the police and was later taken to the St Elizabeth Thuthuzela Care Centre [TCC] for treatment.”
In the same year, a 17-year-old girl was returning from the clinic at Luzuphu location when she was stopped by a white vehicle.
Two men alighted, produced knives, and instructed the teenager to get inside the vehicle.
“There were two other males in the car. They drove off in a direction unknown to the victim until they reached the bushes,” said Tyali.
“They dragged her to the bushes where all four of them took turns raping her.
“They left her there and she managed to walk through the bushes until she found a nearby homestead. She was then taken to the police station and later taken to the TCC.”
During trial, Khetshane pleaded not guilty on all four counts and claimed that the victims were his girlfriends and had consented to have sex with him.
Acting regional court prosecutor, Siyabonga Macebo, led the evidence of eight witnesses including investigations from the police.
The NPA welcomed the sentence and commended all the officials who got involved in ensuring that justice was served.
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