Two back in dock for elderly woman’s rape

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Published Apr 13, 2016

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Pretoria - The State intends on tightening its case against two men accused of invading and ransacking the Groenkloof home of an elderly woman before brutally raping her.

William Mulaudzi, 32, and Xolani Ngudle, 33, face four counts of rape, one charge of housebreaking with intent to steal and theft. The pair has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

The State called Constable Veronica Mutodzi to give testimony on the samples she received from the scene of the crime. This included fingerprints and rape kit samples.

Mutodzi is employed in the police's forensic unit and is responsible for receiving and handing over evidence gathered at crime scenes.

State prosecutor Tefo Mokgoatsana told the court the purpose of Mutodzi’s testimony was to ensure that every facet of the case was covered to avoid losing the matter on a technicality.

However, advocates Gundo Lidovho and Jacob Malende questioned inconsistencies contained in the serial numbers of the bags of samples she received from the crime scene and from Dr Eugene Seller, who had testified earlier.

The two advocates accused Mutodzi of failing to keep track of the samples she handed over to the investigating officer.

Magistrate Mokone Moloto later brought an end to their line of questioning after informing them that it was not necessary as Mutodzi worked in a division that dealt with a large volume of samples on a daily basis and that it was impossible for her to hand over samples to investigating officers in the order in which they were booked.

Moloto rolled over the matter to Wednesday as two witnesses are expected to take the stand.

Previously, the court heard of the harrowing wounds that the 95-year-old woman sustained during the rape ordeal and home invasion.

She was 92 at the time of the attack in 2013. Dr Shane Kotze, a medical doctor at Netcare Unitas Hospital, told the court about the bruises and marks she sustained.

In 2014 she told the court that she remembered one of the men raping her repeatedly, while the other broke open cupboards and filled black plastic bags with her belongings. She told the court the men ignored her desperate pleas to stop.

“I begged the other man to stop his friend from choking and raping me, but he just wanted to know where the keys to the other cupboards were,” she said.

“He was choking me while raping me so I decided to lay still, hoping he would leave,” said the woman.

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