The Tembisa Magistrate’s Court has sentenced 26-year-old Nqobizitha Simana to life imprisonment for the rape of a 14-year-old girl. Simana was also handed an additional cumulative sentence of 12 months imprisonment for related charges of kidnapping, intimidation, and contravening the Immigration Act.
The court proceedings stemmed from an incident in 2022. According to testimony, the minor victim was on her way to school when she was approached by a passer-by who instructed her to call the accused. Upon locating Simana, he allegedly pulled the girl into a shack, threatened her with a knife, and repeatedly raped her.
The victim’s mother became suspicious of her daughter’s condition and took her to the Thuthuzela Care Centre, a facility specializing in support for victims of sexual violence. There, suspicions of rape were confirmed. The victim subsequently disclosed the details of the ordeal to her mother, who then opened a case with the Tembisa Police Service.
In addition to the life sentence for rape, the court imposed a separate one-month prison term for the kidnapping and intimidation of the minor. Simana was also sentenced to a further one-month imprisonment for being in the Republic of South Africa illegally, as he was found to be contravening the Immigration Act. These additional sentences will run concurrently with the life imprisonment term.
Handing down the sentence, the court emphasized that Simana had abused the trust of both the young girl and the community.