Rape accused due back in court after quarantine

Thembinkosi Ngcolomba, 33, of Motherwell, has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of rape, nine of trafficking of people for the purposes of sexual exploitation and seven counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances
ON TRIAL: Thembinkosi Ngcolomba, 33, of Motherwell, has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of rape, nine of trafficking of people for the purposes of sexual exploitation and seven counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances
Image: EUGENE COETZEE

A 33-year-old Motherwell man accused of raping at least nine women after luring them to secluded areas using a Facebook page is expected back in court on Thursday after being kept in quarantine.

This after a court orderly at the Port Elizabeth High Court tested positive for Covid-19 last week.

On Tuesday last week, four of the criminal courts had be to closed and decontaminated after it was found that the court orderly had been in all four courtrooms, one of which had been used for the trial of Thembinkosi Ngcolomba.

At the start of his trial, Ngcolomba pleaded not guilty to 28 counts including 12 of rape, nine of trafficking persons for the purpose of sexual exploitation and seven counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances.

It is alleged that between May 2016 and February 2018, Ngcolomba had used the Facebook page “Umfula Wothando” (River of Love) to lure most of his victims to meet him at spots around Motherwell where he would threaten them with either a knife, screwdriver or gun before raping them.

In some cases, Ngcolomba had raped his victims more than once. They were aged between 15 and 31.

According to at least three witnesses who had already testified, Ngcolomba would use an alias to connect with them and when arranging to meet would tell them a relative of his would meet them when in fact it was him.

He would then allegedly lead them to secluded bushy areas in the Motherwell NU 13 area and rape them.

HeraldLIVE

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