A 42-year-old man has been handed a hefty sentence for a rape spree spanning nine years.
Between July 2012 and April 2021, Bhekithemba Fanozi Nxumalo raped numerous women in KZN’s King Cetshwayo District, many of them school girls.
Nxumalo pleaded guilty to 17 counts of rape as well as the lesser charge of housebreaking, and the Mtubatuba High Court sentenced him to 12 life terms and 75 years’ imprisonment.
Preyed on young girls
The youngest of Nxumalo’s victims was a 14-year-old girl, with all the victims being unknown to their attacker.
The rapist’s common strategy was to use a weapon to threaten the women after accosting them either on their way to or from school or home. In one case, he broke into a woman’s home to commit his violent crime.
“All of them said that they were left psychologically traumatized following the incident and are now terrified of being alone. Some of the complainants said that they did not return to school following the incident as they were afraid,” stated NPA KZN spokesperson, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara.
Community assist with arrest of rapist
Nxumalo met his downfall after his final victim was able to accurately describe the man to community members.
A search by the community led to Nxumalo’s discovery and he was subsequently handed over to authorities. The woman positively identified her rapist and DNA evidence would later link him to the other offenses.
Evidence and the testimonies of the victims, which mentioned they the were still haunted by flashbacks and sleepless nights, motivated the court to hand down the appropriate sentence.
“The NPA applauds this successful prosecution, and we commend the work done by the Prosecution and Police. It is incumbent on us to fight for justice on behalf of the victims of crime,” concluded Ramkisson-Kara.
KZN rape stats
The province contributed 17.5% of South Africa’s rape cases, as per the last batch of crime stats released in February.
A total of 2,140 rape cases were registered between October and December 2023, which was down by 200 cases from the same period the previous year.
Of those incidents, 1,082 were committed at a residence known to the victim or perpetrator, with 308 occurring in a public place.
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