Judgment expected in Hankey rape and attempted murder trial

Judgment in the trial of a man accused of allegedly shooting and raping a 45-year-old businesswoman and tormenting her three young children on a farm outside Hankey in March 2018 is underway in the Port Elizabeth High Court.

Sebenzile Simane, 32, charged with 17 counts including two of rape, four of kidnapping, four of attempted murder and compelling a child to witness a sexual act among others, pleaded not guilty at the beginning of the trial.

It is alleged Simane, wearing a balaclava, stormed into the home of the woman and her three children on March 23 2018 and opened fire on the family, injuring the woman in the process.

During the harrowing four-hour ordeal the woman was raped twice, once while her 12-year-old daughter was forced to witness the sexual attack.

All four family members had been tied up during the attack while Simane rummaged through the house.

He then allegedly forced the woman to take him to an ATM and withdrew money from her bank account. Simane is alleged to have later let the woman go, after which she returned to her farm and found her children at a neighbour's house.

Simane was arrested on March 28 after images gathered from CCTV footage outside an ABSA ATM in Hankey the day after the attack positively identified Simane and enabled the police to trace him to Palmrietfontein where he was arrested.

During the trial Simane was positively linked through DNA evidence to the attack on the family as well as the attack on a woman on a farm near Patensie where he allegedly robbed a woman by knifepoint.