Rustenburg – A 44-year-old pastor was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for rape at the Motherwell Regional Court, in the Eastern Cape on Thursday.
The pastor was last week found guilty of raping a 22-year-old man in 2013. The man is now 31 years old. The pastor was 35 years old at the time of the rape.
“The victim became acquainted with the accused, Luthando Matodlana via a social networking app-Mixit in January 2013. The victim visited Matodlana at his house between February and March 2013, during which time he was raped.
“After sharing his experience on social media in 2020, the victim was advised to open a case. In October 2020, Matodlana was arrested and subsequently released on bail,” said Eastern Cape police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu.
Acting Nelson Mandela district commissioner, Brigadier Thandiswa Kupiso applauded the prowess of the Motherwell Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit for ensuring a prison sentence for the accused.
“Such sentencing brings hope to victims of sexual abuse and that justice will prevail no matter how long it takes, making sure that perverted predators cannot hide behind a façade. We encourage victims of gender-based violence to speak out against any form of abuse and to expose those responsible for such demeaning criminal acts,” Brigadier Kupiso said.
In KwaZulu-Natal the police said Mduduzi Mdukani, 35, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for murder.
Mdukani was arrested in connection with the murder of Noliswa Nhleko, 22, the mother of his 4-year-old daughter.
He reportedly at Nhleko’s residence in Ntuzuma in July 2019, broke the door, window and assaulted her with a timber, a concrete pole on the face and head following a domestic dispute.
“Her daughter who witnessed the incident ran to her grandmother to seek help. The mother succumbed to her injuries at the scene,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala.
“A case of murder was opened for investigation at Ntuzuma police station. Mdukani left the area and went into hiding in Gauteng. In September 2019, police proceeded to Gauteng and arrested the accused for murder. He appeared in the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court and was remanded in custody. On 20 May 2022, he was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by the Ntuzuma Regional Court.”
IOL