A court in Mpumalanga have sentenced a 36-year-old man to three life terms and 40years imprisonment on multiple counts of rape, murder and robbery.

Gcina Gama appeared in the eMalahleni Regional Court on Monday.

NPA spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Monica Nyuswa, says Gama and his co-accused, Siyabonga Fana Dlamini were harassing women who were hitchhiking on the N4 road in eMalahleni Mpumalanga. 

harassing women who were hitchhiking on the N4 road in eMalahleni Mpumalanga. 

She said in one incident, two women were in the company of a man named Musa Maluleka.

Gama and Dlamini attacked the trio and robbed them of their belongings. Nyuswa says they gang-raped the women.

“They further stab Maluleka who succumbed to his injuries,” she says. 

State prosecutor Maureen Nkosi, addressed the court about the scourge of gender-based violence in our society and its impact.

She urged the court to impose a suitable sentence.  The court declared Gama unfit to possess a firearm. 

Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Sonja Ntuli, says this sentence demonstrates that the criminal justice system is effective and working tirelessly to protect the victims of crime,e victims. 

Dlamini (42) pleaded not guilty to the charges. The state applied for separation of trial.

Dlamini`s hearing is set down for 28 January 2022.