MTHATHA – The Mthatha Regional Court sentenced 23-year-old Inganathi Ntwanambi to life imprisonment for raping and robbing 84-year-old granny, who was his neighbour at Mahibe Location, Tabase Administrative Area, in the district of Mthatha.
According to Eastern Cape National Prosecuters Authority(NPA) Eastern Cape division Luxolo Tyali, “two charges of rape and one of robbery, the court convicted Ntwanambi of housebreaking with intent to commit a crime but took all the charges as one sentence”.
“The elderly woman, who had just received her monthly pension grant on 06 May 2023, was woken up by a knock on her door. The person knocking on the door introduced himself as her son, but she refused to open it as she could tell that the voice was not her son’s. However, the assailant kicked the door down, and upon entering, demanded R2000. She told him that she had already paid her debts and offered R500,” Tyali.
In addition the man counted the money and told her that because it was not enough, she had to pay the remainder with sex. The men then proceeded to rape her before fleeing.
Following her ordeal, the elderly woman went to report to her neighbours and was able to identify her attacker as one of the young men from her neighbourhood but did not know his name. When she described his attire, another neighbour, suggested that it was Ntwanambi, and they went looking for him and found him clad in the same clothes as described by the granny. When she saw him, she immediately recognised him and he started to apologise, claiming that he did not know what had gotten to him when he committed the crime. He was arrested and the elderly woman was taken to Sinawe Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) for psychosocial and medical treatment.
“During the trial, Ntwanambi pleaded not guilty even though he had admitted to having committed the crimes upon his arrest,” Tyali added.
This necessitated that Regional Court Control Prosecutor Fumanekile Kandile, lead the evidence of the victim that was assisted by the court preparation officer (CPO), Ziyanda Fambaza. Magistrate Shylock Ndengezi found Ntwanambi to be an untruthful witness with “total disdain of law and the court”, and agreed that there were no substantial and compelling circumstances for deviating from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment.
Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Barry Madolo, commended the investigating officer, the TCC staff, CPO and the prosecutor for the meticulous collection and presentation of evidence, noting that the sentence reaffirms the NPA’s commitment to the protection of the most vulnerable members of the society.
