MALAMULELE – Shaniseka Martin Mahlaule (29) of Shigamana village will spend the next fifteen years behind bars, after he was found guilty of rape. His case was finalised in the Malamulele Regional Court on Monday.

The incident relating to the case took place at Mdabula settlement during the night of August 21, 2000 at about 22:00.

The court heard that on the day of the incident the victim was walking in the street from the local restaurant to her home. The victim is a 21-year-old woman. Along the way she met the accused who was going in the opposite direction.

The court further heard that the accused requested the victim to have sexual intercourse with her. The victim refused and an argument ensued between the two. During the argument the accused grabbed the victim by the hand and pulled her to the nearby bushes.

It was testified that he repeatedly raped her in the bushes and she was let to go shortly after midnight. She was instructed not to reveal her ordeal to anyone, or else she would be killed. Despite that, the victim reported the matter to the police the following morning.

Mahlaule was in hiding for several weeks before his arrest.

The case was postponed several times in the district court before it was referred to the Regional Court. Mahlaule was not given the option to pay a fine. At the time of this sentence, he was convicted for rape and was serving a ten-year jail sentence.

The incident relating to the first case took place at Mahonisi settlement three years ago. During that incident Mahlaule raped a twenty-year-old woman at gunpoint.