East London taxi driver gets life for raping commuter

A taxi driver who raped a commuter was sentenced to life imprisonment by the East London regional court on Thursday.

The 35-year-old Anda Majavu raped the then 22-year-old female commuter in October 2019.

The young woman was hitchhiking from Mdantsane to the East London CBD when Majavu picked her up along the way.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Anelisa Ngcakani said Majavu first dropped off another passenger before raping the victim.

“When it was just the two of them in the vehicle he started to threaten her with a broken bottle top and drove to a secluded area where he raped her,” said Ngcakani on Monday.

“He drove off with her and continued to threaten her not to try to escape. He then found another secluded area near Da Gama Textiles where he raped her again, gagging her mouth and bounding her legs, arms and wrists.”

Majavu allegedly then pushed the victim into a ditch, covered her with shrubs and left her there.

Ngcakani added: “After a while, she managed to untie her legs. Her wrists were so tightly bound that the material cut into her flesh. She ran towards the road where she was rescued by a motorist who took her to the Cambridge police station.”

The police arrested Majavu a few days later.

“During the trial, Majavu claimed that the victim initiated the sexual encounter. He was however unable to explain why the victim had injuries. In aggravation of sentence, the prosecutor, Thando Feni, asked the court for a life sentence because of the horrific nature of the crime. He said the gender-based violence was rife and that a strong message needed to be sent to the community that women are protected by courts.”

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