Johannesburg - A court in KwaZulu-Natal has sentenced a 55-year-old man to life imprisonment for rape, attempted murder and arson following a 2008 attack on a 56-year-old woman in Elandslaagte.
Provincial police said on Monday that Alfred Jabulani Mahlamba was sentenced after being found guilty by the Ladysmith Regional Court.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane said that on 8 Februrary, 2008, the woman was at her home in the Elandslaagte when someone threw a lit object into the house which started a fire inside.
“The woman shouted for help and a man then suddenly entered her home,” Zwane said. “The woman thought the man was coming to rescue her but instead he severely assaulted her with a metal pipe and then raped her.”
Mahlamba was subsequently arrested and sentenced to three years imprisonment for arson, six years for attempted murder and life imprisonment for the rape. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
“The recent convictions by the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units in KZN proves that the police officers are committed in putting the rapist behind the bars for a long time. As we are about to celebrate 16 Days of No Violence Against Women and Children, we appeal to victims of abuse to report such cases to the police, even if they are being intimidated,” said KwaZulu-Natal Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Bheki Langa.
African News Agency