Man, 30, sentenced to life in jail for rape of elderly woman

The Madadeni Regional Court has sentenced Sibusiso Gift Zwane to a term of life imprisonment for the rape of a woman in November 2017 in the Osizweni area, Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal. Zwane, 30, was sentenced to a further two years imprisonment for housebreaking with intent to commit an offence.

On the evening of the incident the victim, who was 73 years old at the time, had been in her house when Zwane broke in, said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara.

“The complainant asked Zwane what he was doing in her house, but he did not respond and proceeded to rape her. At some point she managed to escape and called her daughter. The complainant and her daughter saw Zwane leaving the complainant’s house. The complainant was taken to the police station where a case was registered. She was then taken to the Madadeni Thuthuzela Care Centre for medical and psycho-social assistance,” said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.

In court, prosecutor Cindy Alberts led the testimony of the complainant and her daughter, as well as medical evidence relating to the rape charge. Zwane (through his legal representative) attempted to cast doubt on the complainant’s testimony by saying that her eyesight must be poor due to her age. However, the complainant as able to give details of a scar that looked like a burn mark behind Zwane’s ear.

“She had seen this mark up close when he had raped her. Zwane was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and a further two years imprisonment for the housebreaking. The court ordered that his name is entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders, and he was declared unfit to possess a firearm,” said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.