Man sentenced for life in jail for raping ex-girlfriend

Keiskammahoek man Zingisa Nkanjeni has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping his ex-girlfriend.

According to evidence presented in court, Nkanjeni had been relationship with the victim.

NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali  said on Friday  the rapist and the victim both lived at a Keiskammahoek village.

'When their relationship ended, the woman moved on with her life. Upon hearing that she was in a new love relationship, Nkanjeni proceeded to the victim’s homestead to confront her on the afternoon of March 2 2017. When Nkanjeni arrived, the victim was taking a bath,” Tyali said.

“He barged into the house and dragged the victim by her hair. While being dragged, the victim cried out for help and two people on the street saw this. They tried to stop the violent ex-boyfriend but the he pelted them with stones. He continued dragging the victim and threatened to drown her in the nearby Sandile Dam. Because of the vicious threats, the victim decided to submit to the accused’s demands. He then raped her three times over the course of that night.''

He said that during trial in the Eastern Cape high court, the rapist pleaded not guilty, saying that the sexual encounter was consensual as the victim was his girlfriend.

However, the evidence of the victim and two state witnesses convinced the court otherwise and it convicted him on three counts of rape.

''The state argued that Nkanjeni deserved a life sentence because he was a danger to society since he was previously convicted for rape, and the court concurred. The NPA has no doubt that this sentence will have a profound deterrent effect in the community of Keiskammahoek,'' said Tyali.

Acting Director of Public Prosecutions advocate Livingstone Sakata commended prosecutor Alfie Selanto for the manner in which he conducted the trial. ​