Man jailed for vicious assault

Eshowe Regional Court last week convicted and sentenced a man to life plus 25 years’ imprisonment for rape, attempted murder and robbery.

Sthabiso Lewis Khuzwayo (29) committed the offence in the Ntumeni area in September last year.

The court heard that the victim worked in the eShowe area and on the day of the incident, she finished work late and was returning home.

As she waited for her taxi, she met a man whom she had seen often in the area, and they had become friends. She and the man spoke and established that they were waiting for the same taxi.

The man was in the company of Khuzwayo, who was unknown to the woman.

The trio boarded the taxi together and when they reached their stop, the woman needed to wait for another bus to reach her final destination.

As it was 9pm and the victim was alone, the man told her that he and Khuzwayo would wait with her.

At this point, Khuzwayo suggested to the man that they rob the woman since she was alone and they were in an isolated area.

The man told Khuzwayo that the victim was a good, hardworking person, and they should help her instead of attacking her.

The attack

Khuzwayo then produced a knife and threatened to stab the victim. The man tried to intervene, but Khuzwayo tried to stab him as well. The man fled the scene, leaving Khuzwayo alone with the woman.

Khuzwayo stabbed his victim several times all over her body, demanding money from her. She gave him a handbag containing R400.

He then dragged her into the bushes where he stabbed her on her thighs and raped her. The other man returned to the scene and shouted at Khuzwayo to stop raping the victim.

Khuzwayo stabbed the victim in her neck and ran away.

Owing to the terrain and heavy rain on the night, the man struggled to get immediate medical attention for the victim, however, she was eventually taken to a hospital.

The matter was reported to the police and Khuzwayo was arrested.

In court, Prosecutor Russell Sithembile Mngoma led the evidence of the woman’s friend, as well as the victim’s testimony and the contents of the J88 form.

In addition to the State’s case, Mngoma handed in a victim impact statement compiled by the victim and facilitated by court preparation officer Amanda Pretty Nxumalo.

In her statement, the victim said she could not understand why Khuzwayo, who was a stranger to her, would want to hurt her so badly.

She said the incident also affected her family and her children are not coping. She further stated that the injuries she sustained during the attack have rendered her arm permanently disabled.

Khuzwayo was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape, 10 years for attempted murder, and 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances.

He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm. The sentences will run concurrently, resulting in an effective sentence of life imprisonment.

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