Nkosinathi Nkosingiphile Ngubane, 36, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Ntuzuma Regional Court for the rape of a 16-year-old girl in the Lindeni area in March 2017.

According to Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal, the victim did not know Ngubane.

On the day of the incident, Ngubane approached the victim to ask for directions. While she was assisting him, he managed to lure her to a nearby house and raped her.

Initially, the victim was unable to identify Ngubane, as stated by Ramkisson-Kara: “Since the complainant did not know who Ngubane was, she was unable to identify him.”

The matter was reported to the police, and the victim was taken to the Phoenix Thuthuzela Care Center (TCC) for medico-legal assistance, where DNA swabs were collected.

Ngubane was linked to the rape case after his arrest for a separate case in Msinga, where DNA samples were collected.

“He was then arrested and charged with the rape case. That DNA was used as part of the evidence to prosecute Ngubane,” Ramkisson-Kara added.

During the trial, State prosecutor Mbali Cele presented evidence from the victim, her cousin (who witnessed the rape), and the doctor who examined the victim.

In her victim impact statement, the victim expressed her fear that Ngubane might rape her again and noted that she continues to suffer from psychological trauma.

In addition to the life sentence, the court declared Ngubane unfit to possess a firearm and ordered his name to be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.

Ramkisson-Kara highlighted the NPA’s commitment to combating sexual violence, noting the expansion of TCCs: “The NPA’s fight against the scourge of sexual violence has been aided by the expansion of the TCC footprint across the country, which has grown from 55 TCCs in 2020/21 to 66 TCCs at present. These centres provide comprehensive services and support to victims of sexual violence.”

nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za

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