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A convicted murderer already serving a life sentence has been connected through DNA evidence and has now been sentenced by the Westonaria Magistrate’s Court for the crimes of rape, robbery, and assault.
Ntlantla Hlongwane committed the act of rape against two women in Bekkersdal.
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The first incident occurred on September 23, 2017, around 2 am, when a 27-year-old woman was on her way home from a nearby tavern.
Hlongwane approached her, stole her cell phone, assaulted her, and then dragged her into nearby bushes where he raped her.
The woman reported the incident to the police but couldn’t identify Hlongwane because he was wearing a mask.
The second incident took place on February 16, 2019, at around midnight. Hlongwane entered the home of a 21-year-old woman who was asleep.
He gained access to the house through an open window. Once inside, he threatened the woman with a knife and raped her.
She reported the incident to the police but, like the previous victim, couldn’t identify Hlongwane due to his mask.
DNA samples were collected from both victims and stored as evidence. Hlongwane was already in custody for a murder case and had received a life sentence for that crime.
The DNA evidence connected him to the two rape cases.
During his trial, Hlongwane claimed that he had been in consensual romantic relationships with both victims, disputing the charges against him.
However, the state prosecutor, Jonathan Nkadimeng, argued that Hlongwane had been found guilty of a serious offense.
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He further emphasized that there were no compelling reasons to deviate from the mandatory minimum penalty.
As a result, Hlongwane has been sentenced to 10 years of direct imprisonment for rape, 15 years of direct imprisonment for aggravated robbery, 10 years for the second rape, and six months imprisonment for assault.