PRETORIA – The eMalahleni Regional Court has sentenced 36-year-old Gcina Gama to three life terms and 40 years imprisonment after the eMalahleni Regional Court found him guilty of multiple counts of rape, murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Mpumalanga provincial spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said Gama pleaded guilty before he was sentenced.
He was charged with co-accused Siyabonga Fana Dlamini, 42, who pleaded not guilty and the State applied for a separation of trial. Dlamini’s trial was then scheduled for January 28.
“The court heard that between 2018 and 2020, Gama and Dlamini were harassing women who were hitch-hiking on the N4 road in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga. In one incident, two women were in the company of the Musa Maluleka, who is now deceased, when Gama and Dlamini emerged,” Nyuswa said.
“The pair (Gama and Dlamini) attacked the trio, robbed them of their belongings and gang-raped the women. They further stabbed Maluleka who succumbed to his injuries.”
State prosecutor Maureen Nkosi addressed the court about the scourge of gender-based violence in South African society and its impact, urging the court to impose a suitable sentence.
“The court sentenced Gama and also declared him unfit to possess a firearm,” Nyuswa said.
Acting director of public prosecutions in Mpumalanga Advocate Sonja Ntuli has welcomed the sentence, saying it demonstrates that the criminal justice system is effective and working tirelessly to protect the victims of crime.
Ntuli also paid tribute to the investigations teams for presenting a solid case in court, which ensured justice for the victims.
IOL