THE Nongoma Regional Court last week convicted and sentenced Musa Petros Nxumalo to life plus 10 years’ imprisonment for rape and kidnapping.

Nxumalo (36) was accused of raping a young girl (6) in November 2021. Nxumalo and the victim were unknown to each other.

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On the day of the incident, the victim was walking from Nongoma town when she was accosted by Nxumalo and another man, who was also unknown to her.

They grabbed her and forced her into an abandoned building at knifepoint. The other man left and Nxumalo proceeded to rape his victim.

Still wielding the knife, Nxumalo forced the victim to go with him to his shack. On arrival, Nxumalo locked the door and raped her several more times.

The victim escaped the following morning when Nxumalo left her alone. She went to the police station and reported the matter.

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Nxumalo handed himself over to the police a few days later, and was arrested and charged.

In the State’s case, Prosecutor Samukelisiwe Ndimande led the victim’s testimony, who said the incident had ruined her life and that she has since left school.

Nxumalo was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and a further 10 years for kidnapping.

The court ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders, and he was declared unfit to work with children.

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