The Ladysmith Regional Court on Friday convicted and sentenced Jabulani Mtshali (48) to three terms of life imprisonment for two counts of rape and murder.
At about 1.30pm on October 3, 2015, the victim, Nomusa Zwane (65), was in Madiba Drive near Ladysmith Abattoir when she was approached by the accused.
She was lured into nearby bushes under the pretext that the accused had roof sheeting for sale. While in the bushes, she was raped and strangled by the accused.
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She was also severely assaulted with a hammer and died as a result of her injuries.
A case of rape and murder was opened at Ladysmith police station for further investigation, and the Ladysmith Family Violence, Child Protection & Sexual Offences Unit took over the investigation that led to the arrest of the accused.
During the investigation, it appeared that the accused was also linked to another rape case in which a 10-year-old victim was raped in November 2014.
The KwaZulu-Natal Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Bheki Langa, praised the unit for their well-prepared docket that was presented in court.
“I welcome the sentence handed down to the accused. This will serve as a warning to other would-be criminals who are thinking of committing such crimes. I also thank all witnesses and the Prosecuting Authority for making sure the accused is locked away for life in prison,” he said.
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