Byline: Refeloe Letsoisa
11 December 2023
On Thursday, 07 December 2023, the eMalahleni Regional Court sentenced convicted serial rapist Siyabonga Fana Dlamini (30) to 3 life terms and an additional 115 years of direct imprisonment for the crimes he committed in eMalahleni.
This is after the accused was found guilty on six counts of rape, one count of murder, and five counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The court further declared the accused unfit to possess a firearm in terms of Section 103 of the Firearms Control Act.
Between May and October 2019, the accused, together with his accomplice Gcina Gama, who pleaded guilty to the offence and was sentenced in 2021, terrorised young and old women walking along the N4 and N12 off ramps at the Highveld mall in eMalahleni.
They would threaten their victims with a firearm, drag them to the nearby bush, rape them, and rob them of their belongings like cell phones, cash, and jewellery.
In another incident, a group of ladies were in the company of a gentleman when they came across Dlamini and Gama.
They chased the gentleman and stabbed him to death.
They then gang-raped the ladies and fled the scene.
Dlamini was linked to the crime through DNA.
In court, Dlamini pleaded guilty to some of the charges and denied his involvement in other offences.
State Prosecutor Ellen Mafata led the testimonies of five victims who testified about the same modus operandi the accused accosted them with.
They testified about the trauma they suffered at the hands of the accused.
Their evidence was supported by the findings of the identity parade, which linked the accused to the offences, and DNA analysis.
Victim impact statements, facilitated by the Court Preparation Officer, Musa Mkhatshwa, were presented in aggravation of sentence.
Some victims detailed that since their ordeal happened, they have lost self-esteem, have anger issues, and sleepless nights.
One of them indicated that she felt humiliated and even resigned from her work due to the stigma of being raped.
Magistrate Combrinck took into consideration the evidence placed before the court.
He found the accused guilty on 12 counts and sentenced him accordingly.
The National Prosecuting Authority remains committed to ensuring that perpetrators of gender-based violence and femicide are sentenced appropriately and will continue to fight the scourge of gender-based violence and related cases even after the 16 days of Activism for no violence against women and children.
