American raped, man gets 10yrs

2008-02-05 21:20

Thabisile Khoza and Oris Mnisi

Bushbuckridge - A 23-year-old man who raped an American Peace Corps social worker in Mpumalanga was jailed for 10 years on Tuesday.

Ntsako Khoza of Thulamahashe was found guilty in Mhala Magistrate's Court of raping the woman on January 20 in Rolle near Bushbuckridge.

Magistrate Victor Mathebula said Khoza had jeopardised South Africa's tourism industry.

The 31-year-old woman had arrived in South Africa in September last year to do research on HIV and Aids and to help develop rural communities.

She had been staying and working at Hlengelo home-based care centre in Dwarsloop and was waiting for a taxi about 18:30 when Khoza offered her a lift in his bakkie.

She accepted, but Khoza drove into bushes and raped her while threatening her with a broken beer bottle.

Parents handed him in

He then drove her back to the main road and she was able to escape when he stopped at a four-way stop.

She flagged down another car at the intersection and the motorist, who recognised Khoza, took the woman to Mhala police station.

Khoza's parents handed him to the police.

Martha Mawila, a co-founder and project manager at the care centre said on Tuesday that she and her colleagues were happy with the swift sentence.

"This young man deserves to rot in jail for what he has done to her," she said.

The victim was not in court when Khoza was sentenced and it was not clear if she was still in South Africa.

- African Eye