Rapist sentenced to two life terms

A Port Alfred detective has been praised for exceptional dedication after two life sentences were handed down to rapist for separate incidents in Nemato in 2016. The man was one of a group who gang-raped a woman in Nemato on March 4, 2016. He was tracked down through DNA matching evidence from a rape eight months later, also in Nemato.

South African Police Service spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidoo said that in the first incident, a 20-year-old woman and her boyfriend were walking along Runeli Drive a little after midnight on March 4 2016. They passed a group of men sitting outside a shop, who then followed them. The men blocked their way, threatened them at knifepoint and robbed them of their cellphones. They dragged the woman to a secluded place, where she was gang raped. In a brutally cruel act, they then forced her boyfriend to have sex with her as well, before leaving with their phones.

As the investigation unfolded, one of the accused Sinovuyo Majiyane Funde, 26 years old was linked to the incident through DNA analysis. He was already serving a life sentence plus 20 years imprisonment on an unrelated rape committed in Nemato in November 2016. In that case, Funde and his co-accused Nkosikana Sandi (25) were sentenced in the Makhanda High Court in May 2023 for raping a woman and a girl.

On Friday July 21 2023, Funde was once again sentenced in the Makhanda High Court. This time he was handed down two life imprisonment sentences for rape and attempted compelled rape, as well as 15 years for aggravated robbery. The other suspects in the March 2016 incident were never arrested.

In both cases, the investigating officer was D/W/O Peterson Luzuko Kanzi from the Port Alfred Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit.

Provincial Commissioner, Lt Gen Nomthetheleli Mene commended the investigating officer for his exceptional dedication and unwavering commitment to ensuring that justice was meted out to the rapist. Mene also applauded the excellent sentencing.

“This achievement stands as a testament to his remarkable skills and experience as an investigating officer and his relentless pursuit of justice for the victims,” Mene said. “Such sentences bring a beacon of hope and security to victims of gender based violence and send a clear message that such reprehensible acts will not go unpunished. The accused is now locked away for a very long time and justice has been served. Well done to D/W/O Kanzi and the prosecuting authority for ensuring such a strong case against the rapist, leaving no room for doubt or leniency.”