King Williams Town – A man was sentenced in the Mthatha High Court, sitting in Butterworth, on Friday to three life sentences for murder, rape, kidnapping, and robbery, Eastern Cape police said.
Luthando Qwele, 31, was convicted of kidnapping, raping, robbing, and murdering Lutho Qhudalele, 19, Captain Jackson Manatha said.
Qhudalele disappeared on August 9, 2014. She had gone to a crèche run by her mother at Drayini location, Ngcingwana village, Dutywa. Qwele was seen in the vicinity of the crèche, he said.
Initially, a missing person case was opened at Dutywa police station, but Qhudalele’s body was later found floating in the Nqabarha River a few kilometres from her home. Her body was found by a herd boy who ran to the village to inform the elders.
A Butterworth police cluster task team led by Captain Sandla Dlulisa investigated the case. Qwele was traced and arrested on September 22, 2014, among the hawkers in the central business district in Mount Frere, Manatha said.
Butterworth cluster commander Brigadier Stanley Sibhidla praised Dlulisa and his team for a job well done in making sure that the perpetrator was brought to justice.
“The stiff sentence will serve as lesson and deterrent to other would-be criminals who still think of accosting women and children,” he said.
African News Agency
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