Parolee gets 25 years for raping blind woman in her home

A parolee in the Eastern Cape has been sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment for raping his girlfriend’s blind sister in her bed. The Alexandria Regional Court sentenced Thembinkosi Ngxande to 25 years’ direct imprisonment for the rape of a 61-year-old blind woman in her home in the Ekuphumleni location, Kenton-on-Sea, near Port Alfred, Eastern Cape. The court considered that Ngxande must first serve the remainder of his previous rape sentence until 2035.

Alexandria Regional Court also ordered that his particulars be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders and declared him unfit to possess a firearm. On the evening of 3 February 2024, the victim had been drinking alcohol with her father and his girlfriend, and she retired to her bedroom at approximately 11.30pm. The victim’s father and his girlfriend were asleep in another room when she was woken up by the sensation that someone was sexually assaulting her.

“Realising that her legs were parted and that a man was penetrating her, she attempted to scream for help. The perpetrator covered her mouth, threatened to kill her if she continued shouting, and proceeded to rape her,” National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said. The complainant is blind, but she recognised Ngxande’s voice because he had been at the house previously, due to his relationship with the victim’s sister.

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The sister died in December 2024. She lost consciousness because of the traumatic incident and the effects of drinking. When the victim regained consciousness, she found Ngxande raping her again and holding what she believed to be a knife to her throat.

During the second assault, she managed to call out for help, prompting the accused to stop and attempt to flee. Tyali said the father’s girlfriend woke up to the commotion and found Ngxande shirtless in the living room. “When questioned, he claimed he was looking for his shirt. She observed him enter the complainant’s bedroom to retrieve it from next to her bed before leaving the house,” Tyali said.

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