An Eastern Cape man who broke into an elderly woman’s home twice and raped her on both occasions has been sentenced to life behind bars.
The Bityi Magistrate’s Court found 30-year-old Siphelele Mtshotshweni guilty on two counts of rape and two counts of housebreaking with intent to commit a crime in relation to events that occurred in 2022.
For the first incident, Mtshotshweni was sentenced to five years’ direct imprisonment for housebreaking and twenty years for rape.
He received another five years for housebreaking and life imprisonment for rape in relation to the second incident.
The court ordered that the sentences run concurrently, resulting in an effective sentence of life imprisonment.
Mtshotshweni rapes elderly woman on two occasions
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Mtshotshweni forcefully gained entry into the 60-year-old woman’s home in the Mqhekezweni Administrative Area during the early hours of the morning in August and November 2022.
On the first occasion, on 6 August, the woman was asleep with her three minor grandchildren aged between two and six when he kicked open the locked door.
He immediately broke a lightbulb to keep the room dark, and then forced the woman to undress before raping her.
Unfortunately, the victim couldn’t identify her attacker due to the darkness, and the matter was registered as undetected at the time.
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Mtshotshweni returned just three months later, in the early hours of 6 November, breaking down a locked door again.
Due to her medical conditions, including high blood pressure and diabetes, the complainant quickly lost strength.
Mtshotshweni then used a knife to tear off her clothes and raped her twice outside her home.
During the incident, the woman sustained injuries to her left hand.
She again could not identify her attacker, but semen samples were collected for forensic analysis.
DNA from separate incident links rapist to elderly woman’s case
NPA regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said Mtshotshweni was linked to another rape case in 2023, involving an elderly woman in the same area.
This time, the victim was able to positively identify him.
“Buccal samples were obtained from the accused and sent for forensic analysis,” Tyali said.
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“The DNA results matched the semen collected in the previous two cases, thereby confirming his identity,” he added.
Mtshotshweni was subsequently arrested and charged, and it later emerged that he lived in the same community.
Mtshotshweni’s version found improbable
During the trial, he pleaded not guilty to all charges and presented an alibi, claiming he had been with his mother during both incidents.
However, under cross-examination by prosecutor Anelisiwe Rwaxa, he failed to provide any credible or consistent account of his whereabouts at the time of the offences.
Tyali said his mother, who testified in his defence, also could not withstand scrutiny under cross-examination, and the court found their version to be improbable and self-serving.
“The court accepted the evidence presented by the state, including the testimony of the elderly victim, which was clear and consistent, as well as the conclusive forensic evidence.”
Tyali said the NPA welcomed this sentence, which delivers justice for the victim and sends a strong message that violence against vulnerable members in society will not be tolerated.
“Cases of this nature reaffirm the NPA’s commitment to fighting gender-based violence and ensuring that perpetrators are removed from our communities.”
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