Latest news with #MtubatubaRegionalCourt
The Citizen
4 days ago
- The Citizen
Serial rapist sentenced to 55 years for attacking 5 women in KZN
A convicted serial rapist was handed 55 years in prison for the rape of five women between February 2017 and August 2023. According to Zululand Observer, Thanduxolo Manganyela (37), who was sentenced this week by Mtubatuba Regional Court, was also convicted of stealing a cellphone belonging to one of his victims. All the victims were adults unknown to each other, with the rapes taking place in the eMakhowe, Hluhluwe and KwaMsane areas of KZN. The court heard that Manganyela attacked all his victims in their homes at night while they were asleep. In one instance, he raped an aunt and niece living together, and in another, he raped a mother in front of her children. Following the assaults, he asked the victims to cover themselves with blankets and fled the scene. Manganyela was eventually arrested when one victim spotted him in her neighbourhood and alerted the police. He was linked to all the victims through DNA evidence. Victim impact statements outlined the torment the victims suffered following the assaults. One said her boyfriend left her after the rape, while another said she fears her daughter may suffer a similar experience. Manganyela was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for each of four rape cases, 15 years for the fifth, and two years for theft. Sentences will run concurrently. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on
The Citizen
4 days ago
- The Citizen
Serial rapist faces decades behind bars
A convicted serial rapist was handed 55 years in prison for the rape of five women between February 2017 and August 2023. Thanduxolo Manganyela (37), who was this week sentenced by Mtubatuba Regional Court, was also convicted for stealing a cellphone belonging to one of his victims. All the victims were adults unknown to each other, with the rapes taking place in the eMakhowe, Hluhluwe and KwaMsane areas. The court heard that Manganyela attacked all his victims in their homes at night while they were asleep. In one instance, he raped an aunt and niece who were living together, while in another instance, he raped a mother in front of her children. Following the assault, he would ask the victims to cover themselves with blankets, and flee the scene. Manganyela was eventually arrested when one of the victims spotted him in her neighbourhood and alerted the police. He was linked to all the victims via DNA evidence. Victim impact statements outlined the torment the victims suffered following the assaults. One said her boyfriend left her after the rape, while another said she fears her daughter may suffer a similar experience. Manganyela was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for each of the four rape cases, a further 15 years for the fifth rape case, and an additional two years for theft. Sentences will run concurrently. Don't have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. For news straight to your phone invite us: WhatsApp – 060 784 2695 Instagram – zululand_observer
The Citizen
5 days ago
- The Citizen
KZN man sentenced to 55 years in jail for raping five women
The man preyed on the women by attacking them in their homes at night while they were sleeping. A 55-year-old KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) man has been sentenced to 55 years in jail for the rape of five women between February 2017 and August 2023. Thanduxolo Manganyela appeared in the Mtubatuba Regional Court where the sentence was handed down. Prison He was also convicted of theft for stealing a cellphone belonging to one of his victims. Manganyela was sentenced to 55 years imprisonment on the rape counts, and two years for theft with the court ordering the sentence to run concurrently. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm, and the court ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders. ALSO READ: 'Rats as big as cats': Louis Liebenberg sent to psychiatric hospital [VIDEO] Charges National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said Manganyela's victims were adults, and that the offences took place in the Emakhowe, Hluhluwe and KwaMsane areas. Manganyela and the complainants were unknown to each other. He was charged and convicted of four counts of rape, where the minimum sentence for the offence was 10 years' imprisonment. 'The fifth count of rape carried the minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment. In all these charges, the court sentenced him to the minimum sentence for the offences,' Ramkisson-Kara said. Trial During the trial, state prosecutor Phumlani Khoza led the testimonies of all the women as well as the evidence of the J88 forms. Ramkisson-Kara said Manganyela was linked to all the women via DNA, and evidence was handed in to the court. 'In addition, Khoza handed in Victim Impact Statements facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Sthembile Cebekhulu and compiled by some of the complainants. One of the complainants mentioned that her boyfriend had left her after he learned that she had been raped. 'She said that she now fears for her girl child, following what happened to her. Another complainant said that she feels useless and does not feel like a human being anymore. One other complainant said that she is unable to sleep with the lights off. She said that she has become moody, and she is always angry,' Ramkisson-Kara said. Rapes According to the NPA, Manganyela preyed on the women using the same modus operandi by attacking them in their homes at night while they were sleeping. 'In one instance, he raped an aunt and niece who were living together, while in another instance, he raped a mother in the presence of her minor children. Following the rapes, he would ask the complainants to cover themselves with blankets, and he fled the scene,' Ramkisson-Kara said. 'The complainants reported the offences to the police, and buccal swabs of DNA evidence were taken from them. Manganyela was eventually arrested when one of the complainants saw him walking around in her neighbourhood and alerted the police.' Ramkisson-Kara said the NPA remains committed to the fight against the scourge of gender-based violence. 'We will continue to ensure that justice is delivered swiftly and decisively.' ALSO READ: Four sentenced to life for murder of Alfred Duma Municipality employee
The Citizen
01-07-2025
- The Citizen
Life imprisonment for Hlabisa rapist
Mtubatuba Regional Court sentenced a man (26) to life imprisonment after being found guilty of raping his minor cousin between 2019 and 2020. The incidents took place in the Hlabisa area when the victim was 7 years old. ALSO READ: 4 life terms for rapist father The court heard that the victim lived with her aunts and cousins because her parents worked in another area. During this period, the victim was raped twice, and on both occasions, the man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, threatened to kill her if she told anyone. Then in 2023, the victim went to live with her parents in Ngwelezane. On one evening, her mother asked her and her siblings if they wanted to participate in the upcoming reed dance, where they would sing and dance, and participate in virginity testing. ALSO READ: WATCH: DA in KZN marches to eSikhawini SAPS over rape of schoolgirl (6) The victim then confided in her mother that she could not participate as she had been raped by her cousin and was therefore no longer a virgin. The victim was taken to the Ngwelezana Thuthuzela Care Centre, and upon examination, the doctor's findings were in keeping with what the child had claimed. The matter was reported to the police. The accused became aware that the police were looking for him, and he fled the Hlabisa area. He was eventually arrested last year in Vryheid. On behalf of the State, Prosecutor Phumlani Thembalethu Khoza led the testimonies of the victim, the first report (her mother), and the doctor who examined her. In her statement, the mother said she had trusted the accused and considered him to be one of her children. She said his actions are horrific and inexplicable, and that they will never fully heal from the trauma of what happened. She said the accused should be removed from her family and from society. The court declared the convicted rapist unfit to possess a firearm and ordered that his name be entered into the National Child Protection Register for Sex Offenders. Don't have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. For news straight to your phone invite us: WhatsApp – 060 784 2695 Instagram – zululand_observer At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
