Taxi driver sentenced to life for rape

TAXI DRIVER SENTENCED TO LIFE FOR RAPE

The East London Regional Court sentenced Luthando Veli (35) to life imprisonment for raping a 31-year-old passenger and further sentenced him to five years for the attempted rape of another 23-year-old woman he had given a lift to. The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently. On 21 November 2020, the woman was hitch-hiking on Oxford Street in the district of East London going to Southernwood. A Toyota Avanza, operating as a taxi stopped for her, promising to transport her to her destination. She got into the motor vehicle and the driver drove past her destination, refusing to stop for her. He stopped at a secluded area, pulled the passenger out of the vehicle, assaulted, and raped her.

On 07 February 2021, another woman was hitchhiking from Mdantsane to the town of East London. A taxi stopped for her and there was only the driver inside. On Black Road between Mdantsane and East London, the driver said he wanted to look for other passengers, so he took a turn-off which led to a gravel road towards Reeston. The woman realised that the road leads to a forest and requested that she be dropped off. The driver stopped, locked all the doors, and started assaulting the woman but, she managed to get out through the window. The driver chased her, tripped her and she fell. He then got on top of her, took off his trousers and tried to undress the woman. A passersby noticed the commotion and intervened. The driver then ran away, leaving the vehicle at the scene. The police traced the owner of the motor vehicle involved in the abandoned vehicle, and the owner indicated that he had employed Luthando Veli as the driver and used the motor vehicle as a taxi. He was then traced and arrested and linked to the other rape case.

During the trial, Veli pleaded not guilty, admitting that he was indeed the driver of the vehicle involved in the first incident, but it was stolen from him earlier on that day. He claimed that the second victim had accepted his love proposal and they had agreed to go into the forest to have sex but could not explain why the woman ran away from him. The court dismissed his version as fabrication and accepted the evidence led by the prosecutor, Vuyisa Langa including forensic evidence collected at the Mdantsane Thuthuzela Care Centre, where both victims received psychosocial and medical treatment following their ordeal. The Court Preparation Officer, Maki Menqe prepared both complainants before they testified, and her Victim Impact Statements concerning both charges were submitted and considered for sentencing. The state argued that there were no substantial and compelling circumstances justifying deviation from the prescribed minimum sentence and the court agreed.

The Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Barry Madolo commended the prosecutor, Investigating Officer, CPO and the TCC staff for the meticulous collection and presentation of evidence.

Kind regards,

Luxolo Tyali
NPA Regional Spokesperson
Eastern Cape Division
Tel: 0475012630
Cell: 0735559292