DNA evidence ends rapist’s decade-long run, KZN court sentences man
Arrested on an unrelated charge, a KwaZulu-Natal man was linked via DNA to a violent street rape of a woman in 2013.
In a ten-year-long pursuit, a man from KwaZulu-Natal finally faced justice after a DNA match linked him to a violent 2013 attack. On the evening of April 12, 2013, Themba Mazibuko, 40, ambushed a woman walking home from a taxi, dragging her to a secluded area and raping her before stealing her belongings. The survivor immediately reported the assault to her family and police, seeking medical treatment and counseling at the Madadeni Thuthuzela Care Centre, where forensic evidence, including DNA samples, was collected.
Mazibuko evaded capture for ten years until 2023 when police arrested him on an unrelated matter and his DNA was flagged as a match through the national database. The Madadeni Regional Court sentenced Mazibuko to a 35-year prison term, with 15 years for the rape and 20 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances serving consecutively.
Magistrate M.C. de Klerk expressed the gravity of the crime, stating that it destroys the community's fabric and that the court would not show leniency. The National Prosecuting Authority welcomed the sentence, viewing it as a victory for survivors of sexual violence, affirming the justice system's commitment to holding perpetrators accountable regardless of the time elapsed.
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