The Madadeni Regional Court sentenced Manqoba Dube (29) to life imprisonment for rape. Dube committed the crime in December 2018 in Osizweni in Newcastle in KwaZulu Natal. 

RAPE

According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, on the night of the incident, the complainant was walking home after visiting her boyfriend when Dube and another male accosted her. "She recognised Dube from the area and was also able to identify the other male. They took her to an open field, where they took turns to rape her. After that, they left her in the field and fled," Ramkisson-Kara said. The victim went home and reported the incident to her family. They reported the matter to the SAPS and the complainant was taken to the Madadeni Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) for the necessary support. "Dube was arrested after the police found him at his home, however, his co-accused is still at large," she said.

TESTIMONY

Kara said that prosecutor Cindy-Lee Alberts led the testimonies of the complainant and her parents. "DNA samples linking Dube to the rape and the evidence of the TCC doctor further bolstered the state's case. In her evidence, the complainant told the court that the incident has left her traumatised and she is now fearful even to leave her house. Dube was sentenced to life imprisonment and was declared unfit to possess a firearm. The court also ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders," she said.