Eastern Cape Community Relieved as Man Sentenced to 3 Life Terms for Killing Young Woman

• An Eastern Cape Community is relieved after a man was sentenced on Friday, 17 May 2024 to three life terms for killing a young girl
• The 28-year-old man raped an 18-year-old woman before stabbing her to death in Ngqeleni in the Eastern Cape last year
• The Mthatha High Court convicted Bongani Zini after pleading not guilty to the crimes he was accused of

Trisha Pillay is a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg. Beginning her 13-year-long career at eNCA, she honed her reporting skills and coverage of crime and court cases, which she further developed at The Citizen newspaper, African News Network and Newzroom Afrika. Do you have a hard news story you would like to share? Email: trisha.pillay@briefly.co.za with CA in the subject line.

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EASTERN CAPE - A community in Eastern Cape is at peace after a 28-year-old man was sentenced to three life terms on Friday for the rape and murder of an 18-year-old woman in Ngqeleni last year.

Man sentenced

The Mthatha High Court convicted Bongani Zini after pleading not guilty to the crimes. According to the The Sowetan, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said the incident happened just after midnight on 1 January 2023, during New Year’s celebrations at Ntsundwana village in Ngqeleni.

Tyali said:

“One of the men attacked the woman and her companion with a knife, demanding their cellphones. He stabbed the male schoolmate, who then fled for his life, Zini then instructed his two friends to drag the woman to a dark place. He forced one of them to stand guard while the other raped the woman before he raped her himself."

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The young woman was walking home from a tavern with a male schoolmate when Zini and two accomplices jumped them.

Police found Zini’s wallet next to her body, leading to his arrest. After community members torched his home, Zini abandoned his bail application.

Mzansi shares thoughts

The sentencing has brought a sense of relief to the Eastern Cape community, who are now seeing justice for the young woman’s tragic death. People throughout South Africa were disturbed by the turn of events.

Here are some of the reactions:

@HouseOfNicky shared:

"The laws in this country needs to be reviewed, people can't get away with such."

@TheRealSANARA said:

"Will be a free man, released to murder and rape again in five years?"

@@maduwapatrick shared:

"This is good news for the family."

@SAmuel expressed:

"This country is getting worse by the day, killing someone is nothing these days. Something needs to be done."

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@Emmanuel commented:

"Justice for the family finally."

Netizens demand tougher punishment

In a related story, Briefly News reported about a convicted rapist Given Mnisi, who was handed five life sentences by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court in Mbombela.

Mnisi was found guilty of raping young women aged between 13 and 20 in the Nkomazi area from 2020 to 2015.

Many social media users felt that Mnisi’s judgement was inadequate and that harsher measures need to be taken against serial rapists.

Source: Briefly News