The
\nLusikisiki Regional Court has sentenced Vuyani Khetshane (34) to three life
\nimprisonment terms following his conviction on three separate counts of
\nrape. The court further
\nsentenced Khetshane to five years for kidnapping but ordered that sentence to
\nrun concurrently with one life sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Khetshane
\nwas arrested on June 9, 2022, after he was linked through DNA to the rapes
\ncommitted six years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOn January 3,
\n2016, the 19-year-old victim had gone to her classmate\u2019s homestead in Jambeni A
\nSection in Lusikisiki. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen the classmate was accompanying her back to
\nher home, they met Khetshane, who volunteered to accompany the victim.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe victim
\ndid not know him, but her classmate did. When they reached the home of the
\nvictim, he entered her room and forcefully took the keys and her cellphone
\nbefore repeatedly raping her until the following morning, he then left,\u201d said
\nNational Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to
\nTyali, the complainant went to Lusikisiki Police Station to report the incident
\nand she was then taken to St Elizabeth Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the
\nsame year, June 9, a 17-year-old victim was coming from a local clinic at the
\nLuzuphu Location in Lusikisiki. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOn the way
\nshe was stopped by a white vehicle, two men alighted from the vehicle, drew up
\nknives, and instructed her to get inside the car. There were two other males in
\nthe car, and they drove off in a direction unknown to the victim until they
\nreached bushes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey
\ndragged her to the bushes, where all four of them took turns raping her. They
\nleft her there and she managed to walk through the bushes until she found a
\nnearby homestead. She was then taken to the police station and later taken to
\nthe TCC,\u201d Tyali added<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The third
\nrape incident took place on December 11 2016 when a 13-year-old victim was walking her friend home
\nat Bomvini Location in Lusikisiki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They were
\napproached by a vehicle that offered them a lift. Khetshane was amongst
\nthe occupants in that vehicle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the
\nvictim alighted from the vehicle, Khetshane followed her. She tried to run away
\nbut he caught up with her, assaulted and pulled her inside her room where he
\nraped her at knifepoint and then left. She reported the incident to her
\nsister who took her to the TCC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the
\ntrial, Khetshane pleaded not guilty on all four counts, claiming that all the
\nvictims had consented to have sex with him as they were his girlfriends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Acting
\nRegional Court Prosecutor Siyabonga Macebo led evidence of eight witnesses,
\nincluding investigating officer warrant officer Zwelithini Gentsane and warrant
\nofficer Thokozani Mquteni, a Forensic DNA Analyst. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He submitted
\nVictim Impact Statements prepared by Court Preparation Officer Zokhanyo
\nNgxishe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The court found no substantial and compelling circumstances for
\ndeviation from the prescribed minimum sentence of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eastern Cape
\nDirector of Public Prosecutions, Barry Madolo, commended all those involved for
\ntheir roles in ensuring that justice was served.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Lusikisiki Regional Court has sentenced Vuyani Khetshane (34) to three life imprisonment terms following his conviction on three separate counts of rape. The court further sentenced Khetshane to five years for kidnapping but ordered that sentence to run concurrently with one life 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