The Estcourt Regional Court has harshly sentenced rapist and robber Thokozane ‘Vodacom’ Nqubuka (35) to life plus 55 years for crimes he committed on July 15 and 16, 2022.

Armed with a gun and wearing a face mask, Nqubuka burst into a home in Estcourt on July 15, 2022. He robbed a female occupant of her cellphone and raped her throughout the night.

Nqubuka fled the scene in the morning. While making his getaway, he encountered a man and woman who were on their way home from work.

He held them up at gunpoint and forced the man to lie on the ground. He then started sexually assaulting the woman. However, the gutsy woman managed to fight him off and eventually got control of the gun. She attacked him using the gun and with the help of her male companion, they managed to remove Nqubuka’s mask, thus being able to identify him.

A car stopped and the driver got out, calling Nqubuka by his name and asking him what was going on. Nqubuka jumped into the car with the other person and they drove off. The man and woman who had been attacked took down the car’s registration number and the driver was located soon afterwards.

The driver told police that Nqubuka had said the complainants were assaulting him and that is why they left the scene. Nqubuka was found and arrested.

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The case was recently finalised and Nqubuka was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape, 15 years for each of three counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, five years for sexual assault, and five years for pointing a firearm. He will effectively serve life imprisonment. In addition, he was declared unfit to possess a firearm.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes the successful conviction and sentencing of this dangerous criminal.

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