{"id":294632,"date":"2025-11-28T16:07:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T14:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/?p=294632"},"modified":"2025-11-28T16:07:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T14:07:13","slug":"three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/","title":{"rendered":"Three men sentenced to life over rape attacks after 15-year court battle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>EAST LONDON<\/strong> &#8211; Three suspects were each sentenced to life imprisonment for rape yesterday, 27 November 2025, in the East London Regional Court after a 15-year court battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to SAPS spokesperson Captain Mluleki Mbi, the three suspects were sentenced to the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sivuyile Mbondela (41) &#8211; life imprisonment for rape and 30 years&#8217; imprisonment for aggravated robbery;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sisanele Hletyiwe (36) &#8211; life imprisonment for 4 counts of rape, 5 years&#8217; imprisonment for housebreaking, 15 years&#8217; imprisonment for aggravated robbery;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tanduxolo Khedama (47) &#8211; life imprisonment for 3 counts of rape, 5 years&#8217; imprisonment for housebreaking, 15 years&#8217; imprisonment for aggravated robbery and 15 years&#8217; imprisonment for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>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&#8217; register.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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 04 July 2010 at about 23:00.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>He added that three more women came from a homecoming ceremony and they were forced into the rape spree. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>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&#8217; 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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>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. &#8220;One of the five victims has since died after testifying, and four witnesses have also passed away,&#8221; Mbi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"294633\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/whatsapp-image-2025-11-28-at-13-16-41\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-28-at-13.16.41.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"812,1083\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"WhatsApp Image 2025-11-28 at 13.16.41\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The Investigating Officer, Detective Sergeant Melikhaya Kula.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-28-at-13.16.41-768x1024.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-28-at-13.16.41-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"The Investigating Officer, Detective Sergeant Melikhaya Kula.\" class=\"wp-image-294633\" srcset=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-28-at-13.16.41-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-28-at-13.16.41-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-11-28-at-13.16.41.jpeg 812w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Investigating Officer, Detective Sergeant Melikhaya Kula.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three suspects received life sentences yesterday for rape and aggravated robbery following a 2010 attack on women at a Stutterheim farm outside Qonce.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":268023,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"70","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"60","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"Three men sentenced to life over rape attacks after 15-year court battle","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"The East London Regional Court handed life sentences to three men for rape. Read about their crimes and sentences.","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"2","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[7911,7874,8846,7973,91],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-294632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-crime","tag-local-news","tag-rape","tag-saps","tag-top"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Three men sentenced to life over 2010 rape attacks in East London | Mthatha Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn about the life sentences given to three men for rape, highlighting the court&#039;s stance against sexual violence in East London.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Three men sentenced to life over rape attacks after 15-year court battle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The East London Regional Court handed life sentences to three men for rape. Read about their crimes and sentences.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mthatha Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MthathaExpress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-28T14:07:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-28T14:07:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Court-image_48297.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"996\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Shanti Jafta\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Three men sentenced to life over rape attacks after 15-year court battle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EP_Media24\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EP_Media24\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Shanti Jafta\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Shanti Jafta\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7b463c74243d98fa5d6973c33f1bfe4e\"},\"headline\":\"Three men sentenced to life over rape attacks after 15-year court battle\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-28T14:07:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-28T14:07:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":387,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Court-image_48297.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Crime\",\"Local News\",\"Rape\",\"SAPS\",\"Top\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\\\/\",\"name\":\"Three men sentenced to life over 2010 rape attacks in East London | Mthatha Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Court-image_48297.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-28T14:07:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-28T14:07:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn about the life sentences given to three men for rape, highlighting the court's stance against sexual violence in East London.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Court-image_48297.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/Court-image_48297.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":996,\"caption\":\"Three suspects handed life sentences for rape.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Three men sentenced to life over rape attacks after 15-year court battle\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Mthatha Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Mthatha Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Mthatha Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MthathaExpress\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/EP_Media24\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@expressonline3000\"],\"description\":\"Mthatha Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of Mthatha and surrounding towns and villages for almost a decade. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 70,000 free copies delivered across the former Transkei area every week. It is also distributed once a month in East London.\",\"email\":\"mthathaexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"+27472932973\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7b463c74243d98fa5d6973c33f1bfe4e\",\"name\":\"Shanti Jafta\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d6391930893b833f4114651b7c566edcce30601678f28054b6b215ce566c126c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d6391930893b833f4114651b7c566edcce30601678f28054b6b215ce566c126c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d6391930893b833f4114651b7c566edcce30601678f28054b6b215ce566c126c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Shanti Jafta\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/mthathaexpress\\\/author\\\/shanti\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Three men sentenced to life over 2010 rape attacks in East London | Mthatha Express","description":"Learn about the life sentences given to three men for rape, highlighting the court's stance against sexual violence in East London.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Three men sentenced to life over rape attacks after 15-year court battle","og_description":"The East London Regional Court handed life sentences to three men for rape. Read about their crimes and sentences.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/","og_site_name":"Mthatha Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MthathaExpress\/","article_published_time":"2025-11-28T14:07:11+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-28T14:07:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":996,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Court-image_48297.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Shanti Jafta","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Three men sentenced to life over rape attacks after 15-year court battle","twitter_creator":"@EP_Media24","twitter_site":"@EP_Media24","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Shanti Jafta","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/"},"author":{"name":"Shanti Jafta","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/7b463c74243d98fa5d6973c33f1bfe4e"},"headline":"Three men sentenced to life over rape attacks after 15-year court battle","datePublished":"2025-11-28T14:07:11+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-28T14:07:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/"},"wordCount":387,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Court-image_48297.jpg","keywords":["Crime","Local News","Rape","SAPS","Top"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/","name":"Three men sentenced to life over 2010 rape attacks in East London | Mthatha Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Court-image_48297.jpg","datePublished":"2025-11-28T14:07:11+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-28T14:07:13+00:00","description":"Learn about the life sentences given to three men for rape, highlighting the court's stance against sexual violence in East London.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Court-image_48297.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Court-image_48297.jpg","width":1200,"height":996,"caption":"Three suspects handed life sentences for rape."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-over-rape-attacks-after-15-year-court-battle\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Three men sentenced to life over rape attacks after 15-year court battle"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/","name":"Mthatha Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#organization","name":"Mthatha Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/mthatha-express-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Mthatha Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MthathaExpress\/","https:\/\/x.com\/EP_Media24","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@expressonline3000"],"description":"Mthatha Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of Mthatha and surrounding towns and villages for almost a decade. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 70,000 free copies delivered across the former Transkei area every week. It is also distributed once a month in East London.","email":"mthathaexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"+27472932973","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/7b463c74243d98fa5d6973c33f1bfe4e","name":"Shanti Jafta","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6391930893b833f4114651b7c566edcce30601678f28054b6b215ce566c126c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6391930893b833f4114651b7c566edcce30601678f28054b6b215ce566c126c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6391930893b833f4114651b7c566edcce30601678f28054b6b215ce566c126c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Shanti Jafta"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/author\/shanti\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Court-image_48297.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":294688,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/three-men-sentenced-to-life-for-2010-gang-rape\/","url_meta":{"origin":294632,"position":0},"title":"Three men sentenced to life for 2010 gang rape","author":"Mthatha Express","date":"8 December 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"EAST LONDON - Three men have been sentenced to life imprisonment by the East London Regional Court for their roles in a horrific gang rape that took place on a farm near Stutterheim more than 15 years ago. On Thursday, 27 November 2025, the court handed down sentences to Sivuyile\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/9acf4532-8b68-4602-a_86782.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/9acf4532-8b68-4602-a_86782.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/9acf4532-8b68-4602-a_86782.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/9acf4532-8b68-4602-a_86782.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/9acf4532-8b68-4602-a_86782.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":267681,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/serial-rapist-handed-five-life-terms-plus-95-years-in-landmark-sentence\/","url_meta":{"origin":294632,"position":1},"title":"Serial rapist handed five life terms plus 95 years in landmark sentence","author":"Shanti Jafta","date":"3 October 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Lwando Phike (34) received five life terms plus 95 years' imprisonment after being convicted of multiple rapes and robberies spanning five years.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Serial rapist suspect given five life sentences at East London High Court.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/club-2492011_1280-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/club-2492011_1280-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/club-2492011_1280-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/club-2492011_1280-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/club-2492011_1280-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":296199,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/man-56-sentenced-to-18-years-imprisonment-for-rape-of-minor-niece-11\/","url_meta":{"origin":294632,"position":2},"title":"Man (56) sentenced to 18 years&#8217; imprisonment for rape of minor niece (11)","author":"Mthatha Express","date":"14 April 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"KUGOMPO CITY - A 56-year-old man was recently sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment for the rape of his 11-year-old niece in KuGompo City (formerly East London). On Tuesday, 31 March 2026, the East London Regional Court convicted the accused of rape and sentenced him to 18 years' imprisonment. Additionally, he\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GetAttachmentThumbnail.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Mthatha Express","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=294632"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294632\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/268023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=294632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=294632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=294632"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=294632"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/mthathaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=294632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}