Rapist gets life in prison

According to the Cleveland SAPS communications officer, Constable Mpho Mashakane, the sentence was handed down following an incident that occurred on June 29, 2012.

“Two men gained entry into a room on 19 Street, Malvern. They pointed firearms at the three women who were in the room. One of the suspects took the women’s cellular phones and an undisclosed amount of money. The other two suspects forced the women to go with them. They left one woman who sustained serious injuries after being the beaten by the suspects,” said Const Mashakane.

She added that as they were leaving, another man who was waiting outside, joined the suspects.

“The proceeded towards the Toronga Railway Station with the women. The suspects then separated the women. One of the suspects raped one of the women. The second suspect allowed the woman who was with him to leave,” said Const Mashakane.

While running home, the woman said she heard gun shots from the surrounding area.

“The other woman was taken to the Denver Informal Settlement where she was raped twice. The man then took her to the Toronga Train Station. He gave her his cellular phone number and ordered her not to report the matter to the police or else he would kill her. He added that he was not scared of the police,” said Const Mashakane.

Following a police investigation, Zwane was subsequently arrested.

“On the case of robbery and abduction, he was sentenced to 15 years. On the charge of possession of an unlicensed firearm he was sentenced to five years. On the charge of rape, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. We would like to thank the community and the victims for the role they played in securing this conviction. We also want to applaud the investigating team led by Warrant Officer Patrick Raletsemo, Constable Robert Maluleke and Constable Norman Manamela for a job well done. We want the community to know that we will not rest until all the culprits are arrested,” said Constable Mashakane.