'Obsessed' KZN neighbour sentenced to life imprisonment for rape

A KwaZulu-Natal man, Lindokuhle Mlangeni, has been sentenced to life imprisonment plus five years for raping and kidnapping his 18-year-old neighbour.

Mlangeni, 25, was sentenced when he appeared in the Verulam regional court on Tuesday, after the incident in January 2019.

The court heard that on January 2 2019, the 18-year-old was accosted on her way home from work when she met Mlangeni. He then forcefully grabbed the young woman’s handbag and told her that he'd been in love with her for years. When the woman told Mlangeni that she was not interested, he became aggressive.

Mlangeni then pushed her into the bushes and began raping her.

Despite the woman's screams for help, no-one was able to hear. Mlangeni then dragged the victim to his home in the Ndwedwe area, where he continued to rape her.

Mlangeni released the woman the next morning and instructed her not to tell anyone about the attacks.

She, however, reported the incident at Ndwedwe police station and Mlangeni was immediately arrested.

He was charged with raping and kidnapping by the KwaDukuza family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit.

Acting KwaZulu-Natal provincial commissioner Maj-Gen Thulani Gonya welcomed the sentence handed to the accused.

“No crime will go unpunished. The police are working around the clock to bring all crime doers to book - this should be the message for all. Women and children are very special and should always be protected,” he said.

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