EAST LONDON – Three suspects were each sentenced to life imprisonment for rape Thursday, 27 November 2025, in the East London Regional Court after a 15-year court battle.
According to police spokesperson Captain Mluleki Mbi, the three suspects were sentenced to the following:
- Sivuyile Mbondela (41) – life imprisonment for rape and 30 years’ imprisonment for aggravated robbery;
- Sisanele Hletyiwe (36) – life imprisonment for 4 counts of rape, 5 years’ imprisonment for housebreaking, 15 years’ imprisonment for aggravated robbery;
- Tanduxolo Khedama (47) – life imprisonment for 3 counts of rape, 5 years’ imprisonment for housebreaking, 15 years’ imprisonment for aggravated robbery and 15 years’ imprisonment for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
He added that the sentences will run concurrently and all the accused are declared unfit to possess firearms and are also included in the national sex offenders’ register.
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Mbi said that this followed an incident where four armed men with a firearm forced entry into a house at a Ngcobo farm in Stutterheim outside Qonce on 4 July 2010 at about 23:00.
They allegedly demanded money from a 40-year-old woman who was sleeping with her 13-year-old daughter and boyfriend. After getting no money, they started taking turns raping them.
He added that three more women came from a homecoming ceremony and they were forced into the rape spree.
At some point, the driver of the combi who had brought the three women came in to check what was keeping them and encountered gunfire. The driver also returned fire and then the suspects fled the scene with the victims’ mobile phones, and the driver suffered slight injuries. All the suspects were unknown at that stage, but the investigation yielded positive results. Two mobile phones and a firearm were recovered.
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Owing to the length of time that had lapsed between court appearances, he said that some victims wanted to drop the charges as they were tired of the case, but the Senior Public Prosecutor declined to withdraw the case. “One of the five victims has since died after testifying, and four witnesses have also passed away,” Mbi said.
The sterling work and persistence of the Investigating Officer, Detective Sergeant Melikhaya Kula, was deemed a huge success in the fight against gender-based violence by the Buffalo City Metro District Commander, Major General Wright.
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