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A prison fence.
A serial rapist has been sentenced to 55 years for raping five elderly women between 2017 and 2023 in KwaZulu-Natal.
The 35-year-old Thanduxolo Manganyela’s sentence was handed down by the Mtubatuba Regional Court.
He was further sentenced to an additional two years for stealing one of the victim’s cellphones. During the proceedings, the court heard that Manganyela raped one of the elderly women in front of her children.
NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkissoon-Kara elaborates, “The Mtubatuba Regional Court sentenced the accused to an effective 55 years’ imprisonment for the rapes he committed between February 2017 and August 2023. He was also convicted of theft for stealing a cellphone belonging to one of the complainants. For this he was sentenced 2years imprisonment.
The court ordered that the theft charge run concurrently resulting in the effective sentence of 55 years’ imprisonment. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm and the court ordered that his name be entered into the register for national sex offenders.
The NPA welcomes the finalization of this matter. Therefore, we remain committed to the fight against the scourge against gender-based violence and we will continue to ensure justice is delivered swiftly and decisively.”
