THE GROTESQUE epidemic of rape was laid bare in the high court in Joburg on Tuesday, where three men faced 27 allegations of the crime.
One of the men, 29-year-old Velaphi Ncongwana, pleaded guilty to all six rape charges he faced - including over a dozen more cases of kidnapping, housebreaking and robbery. Ncongwana’s reign of terror began in December 2009 when he brutally assaulted, raped and robbed a woman from Zonk'iZizwe, Ekurhuleni, and his crime spree ended in January 2013 with more horrid crimes.
He described his last disturbing crime in his guilty-plea statement: “On the afternoon of January 4, 2013, I met the complainant (name withheld) in Zonk'iZizwe I dragged her to a maize field without her consent, thus depriving her of her liberty, and in the process committed the offence of kidnapping.”
He then detailed how he robbed the woman of her phone and money while brandishing a knife, before adding: “I then ordered her to undress her clothes, lie down and open her legs. Thereafter I forcefully penetrated her vagina with my penis without a condom until I ejaculated. She did not give me permission to penetrate her.”
Ncongwana was sentenced to two life sentences and an additional 170 years for his crimes. According to a source close to the investigation, he was recently sentenced for crimes he committed in Mpumalanga, which is how he was caught in Gauteng, as his DNA matched the cases in his home province.
“He (Ncongwana) committed his rape and robbery in eLukwatini, Mpumalanga, before he came to Gauteng. While police were investigating these current cases, a (match) was found with a rape and robbery in Mpumalanga by the forensics laboratory here in Gauteng. So this is his thing - he rapes and robs,” the source, who asked to remain anonymous, said.
Ncongwana is serving a life sentence and 15 years for the rape and robbery respectively.
Meanwhile, Kelvin Thompson, 23, from Eldorado Park, is facing eight counts of rape for allegedly raping eight boys, who were all under the age of 13 when the alleged acts occurred.
The youngest was between seven and eight years old when the alleged acts were done from 2014 to 2015. Thompson's case continues today.
In the same court, Nhlanhla Xaki stands accused of 13 counts of rape, plus several other charges, which include robbery and attempted robbery.