A 31-year-old man from Mthatha in the Eastern Cape was sentenced to an effective 25 behind bars for the rape of a mentally challenged woman.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson, Luxolo Tyali, said 31-year old Tomasi Matsanzike was sentenced in the Mthatha Regional Court on Thursday.
According to evidence presented before court, during July 2012 Matsanzike visited the homestead in Tsolo of a 28-year-old woman to collect money from her mother for items he had sold.
The mentally challenged woman who was alone at the time was followed by Matsanzike into one of the rooms where he raped her.
During trial Matsanzike pleaded not guilty to the charge against him and claimed that the woman had run away with his cellphone and he had chased her inside the house to retrieve his phone.
“However, State Advocate Chantal Govender presented the medical report which confirmed that the victim had been raped and led the evidence of the neighbour, who told the court that when she got to the [woman’s] home, she found her bleeding and half-naked,†said Tyali.
According to Govender, it took extreme patience and skill to consult with the woman due to her “child-like†mental state and lack of focus.
Tyali said the NPA welcomed the sentence with the hope that it would serve as a deterrent to “would-be rapists†who prey on vulnerable women.
– African News Agency (ANA)
