Two residents of Mandala village, who raped a 32-year-old woman from the same village in May 2006, were each sentenced to life imprisomment on Friday.

The two, Belemu Thanzi and Rendani Tshivhase, both aged 20 were, convicted by the regional magistrate when they jointly appeared at the Siloam regional court on Friday, 18 April, on rape charges.

The court heard that on May 6, 2006, the two accused men descended on the complainant´s hut in Mandala village at around 22:40. They broke into the house and found her asleep. Tshivhase and Thanzi then forced her to the nearby Mandala graveyard, where they took turns to rape her before they fled the scene.

The complainant later reported the incident to the police, leading to the arrest of the two men.