A woman who was violently raped in 1997 finally got justice when her 58-year-old rapist was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Taxi driver Xolani Qanqane was sentenced in the Zwelitsha Regional Court this week.
A spokesperson for the NPA Luxolo Tyali says the woman who is now 41 years old, spotted her rapist in a taxi in East London in 2020 and opened a case against him a year later.
He said when she was 14 years old she was with her cousin in a shopping centre in King Williams Town (now Qonce) when they approached a photographer to ask him to photograph them.
After the shoot, Qanqane lured her to a different location under the premise that he needed to develop the photograph when he convinced her to take a picture with him.
Tyali says a few days later it came to the victim's attention that Qanqane showed the picture around claiming to be her boyfriend.
He says this bothered her greatly and she was afraid that her parents would find out.
The survivor, now a social worker, approached Qanqane at his workplace demanding the photograph be handed over.
He said it was at his house and as they approached his vehicle he slapped her and bundled her into his car before driving to his flat in Dimbaza.
Tyali says she was violently raped and threatened with death if she ever told anybody.
He says, as a result, she never reported the incident.
Years later when she enrolled at University she fell in love with someone, however, the relationship crumbled when her partner wanted intimacy.
The survivor eventually told her partner what happened to her and sought the assistance of a clinical psychologist to help her cope with the trauma.
The NPA's Tyali says in 2020, the woman was crossing a road in East London when a taxi passed her by, she instantly recognised the driver as the man who raped her years ago.
He says there was a phone number on the taxi which she wrote down and later built up the courage to phone him, with the sole purpose the get an apology.
When the woman called, Qanqane mistook her for someone else and told her he was already punished for what he did to her.
Tyali says it was at that moment she realised that she was not his first victim and she opened a case.
He says the only evidence in the docket was her statement and the public prosecutor had to find evidence to corroborate the victim's version after more than 24 years.
The woman's ex-boyfriend testified and Qanqane was subjected to a robust cross examination.
The NPA said this should encourage victims to come forward no matter how long ago they were sexually violated.
