Osizweni rapist handed a 35 year sentence
Mazibuko was sentenced to 35 years behind bars.
The Madadeni Regional Court has sentenced 40-year-old Themba Mazibuko to 35 years in prison for the 2013 robbery and rape of a woman in Osizweni.
According to Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson for the KwaZulu-Natal Division, Mazibuko and the victim were not known to each other before the incident.
On the evening of April 12, 2013, the victim was walking home after getting off a taxi when Mazibuko accosted her.
“Armed with a knife, he forcibly took her to a secluded area where he raped her. He then robbed her of her cellphone and cash before fleeing the scene,” explained Ramkisson-Kara.
The victim immediately reported the incident to her family and later to the police.
She received the necessary medical treatment and psychosocial support at the Madadeni Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC), where forensic evidence, including DNA samples, was collected.
Mazibuko initially evaded arrest, but was finally apprehended in 2023 while in custody for an unrelated matter.
He was subsequently linked to the offence through DNA evidence.
DNA evidence linked Mazibuko to the crime
In court, prosecutor Nkululeko Innocent Shandu presented the testimony of the complainant, her brother as the first-report witness, and a medical doctor.
“The state also submitted a Victim Impact Statement facilitated by court preparation officer Nokukhanya Alice Cele, detailing the profound and lasting impact the attack had on the complainant’s life.”
Mazibuko was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for rape and 20 years’ imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The court ordered that the sentences will run concurrently, resulting in an effective sentence of 35 years’ direct imprisonment.
In addition, the court declared Mazibuko unfit to possess a firearm and ordered that his particulars be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.
Ramkisson-Kara said the NPA welcomed the sentence, which reflected the seriousness of the offences and affirmed the justice system’s commitment to holding perpetrators of sexual violence accountable.
“The NPA remains steadfast in its commitment to combating sexual offences and gender-based violence while ensuring justice and support for survivors. This commitment is reinforced through the continued expansion of the Thuthuzela Care Centre network, which has grown from 55 centres in 2020/21 to 66 centres nationwide.”
She concluded that, “These centres provide integrated medical, legal and psychosocial services to survivors of sexual violence and play a critical role in supporting victims while strengthening the successful prosecution of offenders.”
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