Nkandla man receives life sentence for raping a school pupil
A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a pupil and threatening her with a knife.
Image: File
Nkanyiso Mbambo, 31, from Nkandla, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Nkandla Regional Court for the rape of a 17-year-old pupil in January 2022.
Mbambo accosted the pupil as she was returning from school, threatening her with a knife.
DNA evidence linked Mbambo to the case after the pupil reported the incident to her family, leading to a police investigation and a medical examination.
According to KwaZulu-Natal National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, Mbambo was already in custody for another matter when he was charged with the rape.
In a victim impact statement read by public prosecutor Philile Shilenge, the pupil expressed her embarrassment and the severe trauma caused by the incident.
She stated: “I used to be a happy and jovial person; however, after the incident, I am always angry and untrusting of men.”
Ramkisson-Kara emphasised that curbing sexual offences and gender-based violence remains a priority for the NPA.
“The NPA welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter and is committed to pursuing justice for the victims of crime.”
She said Mbambo's name will also be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.
Recently, the Pietermaritzburg High Court dismissed a man who had appealed his life imprisonment sentence for rape. The man had repeatedly raped an eight-year-old girl and threatened to kill her.
When delivering his ruling, Senior Judge Robin Mossop emphasised the importance of protecting children’s rights, adding that rape is always a serious matter and a scandalously common offence.
Judge Mossop stated that children should not be viewed as sex objects, nor are they to be viewed as easy and convenient targets for those who are not able to control their sexual urges.
“Sexual attacks upon our children violate not only their bodily and psychological integrity, but they also force them out of the idyll of childhood into the adult world that they should not be required to face until they are equipped to do so,” Judge Mossop added.
nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za