A convicted rapist, who had recently been released after serving 10 years of a 13-year sentence for raping a minor, has now been arrested for the alleged rape and murder of his own 12-year-old niece.
Community members in the King William’s Town village of late civil rights lawyer and political activist Griffith Mxenge are shocked at the arrest of the 43-year-old man.
Earlier this month, the decomposing body of the Grade 5 pupil was found dumped in thick bush less than 100m from where the remains of Mxenge and his wife Victoria are buried.
Yesterday, the bail hearing of Msondezi Ngqaleni – who now faces charges of kidnapping, raping and murdering his niece Nomabhelu Ngqaleni in Rhayi village – was postponed to May 15 in the Zwelitsha Magistrate’s Court.
Due to a power failure at the court, the hearing was pushed back to that date.
Ngqaleni, released on January 4 after 10 years in prison for raping a young girl in Ginsberg in 2008, was arrested on April 10, just a day after the body of the 12-year-old was discovered.
Nomabhelu’s decomposed body was found by an elderly woman from a nearby village.
This was five days after she had gone missing from the Rhayi home she shared with her grandmother and aunt.
The home is about 200m from her uncle’s house, where the rape is alleged to have taken place.
Nqaleni is said to have been traced a day after the body was discovered, with family spokesman Avela Twani saying he had been found in a tavern, before leading police to a locked bedroom.
He said they found bloodied items including clothing, and the walls and floor were covered in bloody stains.
Twani said his entire family has been “deeply shocked” by the incident.
He said the girl’s aunt, grandmother and mother, who was in Port Elizabeth at the time of the discovery, were struggling to come to terms with the girl’s death.
They were too distraught to speak to the Dispatch yesterday.
Twani said before serving 10 years for rape, Ngqaleni had served a term of eight years in jail for the murder of a soldier he stabbed during a traditional ceremony at his family home.
The 12-year old girl was a pupil at Rhayi Primary School.
School principal Ayanda Voyi said the child’s schoolmates were “traumatised and still shaken” by the gruesome events.
During the court appearance yesterday, more than a 100 community members, under the banner of South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco), protested outside court demanding that the suspect be denied bail.
The East London-based Masimanyane Women’s Support Centre was among those who gave support to the community. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
Raped, slain girl’s uncle in the dock
Community members in the King William’s Town village of late civil rights lawyer and political activist Griffith Mxenge are shocked at the arrest of the 43-year-old man.
Earlier this month, the decomposing body of the Grade 5 pupil was found dumped in thick bush less than 100m from where the remains of Mxenge and his wife Victoria are buried.
Yesterday, the bail hearing of Msondezi Ngqaleni – who now faces charges of kidnapping, raping and murdering his niece Nomabhelu Ngqaleni in Rhayi village – was postponed to May 15 in the Zwelitsha Magistrate’s Court.
Due to a power failure at the court, the hearing was pushed back to that date.
Ngqaleni, released on January 4 after 10 years in prison for raping a young girl in Ginsberg in 2008, was arrested on April 10, just a day after the body of the 12-year-old was discovered.
Nomabhelu’s decomposed body was found by an elderly woman from a nearby village.
This was five days after she had gone missing from the Rhayi home she shared with her grandmother and aunt.
The home is about 200m from her uncle’s house, where the rape is alleged to have taken place.
Nqaleni is said to have been traced a day after the body was discovered, with family spokesman Avela Twani saying he had been found in a tavern, before leading police to a locked bedroom.
He said they found bloodied items including clothing, and the walls and floor were covered in bloody stains.
Twani said his entire family has been “deeply shocked” by the incident.
He said the girl’s aunt, grandmother and mother, who was in Port Elizabeth at the time of the discovery, were struggling to come to terms with the girl’s death.
They were too distraught to speak to the Dispatch yesterday.
Twani said before serving 10 years for rape, Ngqaleni had served a term of eight years in jail for the murder of a soldier he stabbed during a traditional ceremony at his family home.
The 12-year old girl was a pupil at Rhayi Primary School.
School principal Ayanda Voyi said the child’s schoolmates were “traumatised and still shaken” by the gruesome events.
During the court appearance yesterday, more than a 100 community members, under the banner of South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco), protested outside court demanding that the suspect be denied bail.
The East London-based Masimanyane Women’s Support Centre was among those who gave support to the community. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos