- A Mpumalanga man was jailed for the rape and murder of a 20-year-old woman.
- The man was sentenced on Tuesday for the 2019 incident.
- He used a wooden spoon to rape her, causing injuries that led to her death.
A 40-year-old man was sentenced to two life terms in prison for using a wooden spoon to rape a 20-year-old woman in Mjejane, near Komatipoort, causing injuries that led to her death.
Hendrick Nicholas Janse van Rensburg was sentenced on Tuesday in the Mpumalanga High Court in Mbombela for the October 2019 incident.
Janse van Rensburg and the victim, Andiswa Zitha, did not know each other, according to police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala.
Mohlala said he left Zitha in a pool of blood at her home.
Neighbours found her bleeding and took her to Tonga Hospital where she died the following day.
According to Mohlala, a bloodied wooden spoon was found next to the woman and it was taken to the Local Criminal Record Centre for DNA and fingerprint tests.
Mohlala added:
Janse van Rensburg was arrested a year later.
"[Officers'] hard work paid off when they arrested the accused at a tavern in Kamhlushwa on 20 October 2021.
"The accused was charged and taken to court where he was convicted and sentenced to one life sentence for rape, as well as another life sentence for murder."
The court ordered that the sentences run concurrently.
Provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, welcomed the sentence.
"It is unfortunate to have lost a life of a young girl in this manner. We also hope that the sentence will serve as a deterrent to others who might consider emulating the actions of the accused," she said.
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