Port Shepstone rapist gets life sentence, victim survives by playing dead
A security guard who found the victim took her to a Thuthuzela Care Centre.
A Port Shepstone court has sentenced a man to life behind bars for rape.
Manuel Gonera attacked a 28-year-old woman in the Msikaba area in 2022.
Prosecutors say the woman, who was walking home at the time, survived by pretending to be dead.
A security guard who found her took her to a Thuthuzela Care Centre nearby.
DNA evidence and arrest lead to conviction
Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in KwaZulu-Natal says DNA evidence linked 31-year-old Gonera to the crime, after his arrest in October 2023.
Ramkisson-Kara has welcomed the sentence saying it reaffirms the NPA’s commitment to fighting gender-based violence.
“Evidence presented in court revealed that the complainant was walking home from a local tavern when she was accosted by Gonera, who was unknown to her.
Court hears harrowing details of the attack
“He assaulted her and stabbed her with a broken beer bottle before dragging her to a secluded area, where he raped her.”
Ramkisson-Kara says the woman suffered injuries to her head, neck, and face, and was strangled.
“Gonera fled the scene after the complainant pretended to be dead.
“A few hours later, the complainant was discovered by a security guard [who was] on his way to work. He assisted her to safety, and she was subsequently taken to the Port Shepstone Thuthuzela Care Centre (TCC) for medical and forensic examination. The matter was reported to the police; however, the perpetrator initially remained unidentified.
“In October 2023, Gonera was apprehended by community members in connection with a suspected similar offence. While receiving treatment in the hospital, police obtained buccal swab samples from him. Forensic analysis linked him directly to the 2022 rape, leading to his arrest.”
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