Uyinene Mrwetyana’s killer’s previous attempted rape case left her family distraught

Uyinene Mrwetyana’s killer Luyanda Botha’s court appearance on a previous attempted rape charge has devastated her family.

The former postal employee raped and killed the University of Cape Town student at a post office branch in Claremont, Cape Town, on August 24 2019.

Botha, who is serving a life sentence, was recently hauled before the Wynberg magistrate’s court to answer an attempted rape charge laid in 2014.

The alleged victim was a nursing student attending a college in Athlone.

According to the prosecution, Botha had visited the victim at the college and walked in on her bathing. He then attempted to rape the woman.

Botha was arrested, but the case was struck off the court roll. It has since been reinstated. The murderer has tried to poke holes in the state’s case and brought an application for it to be discharged. He even took the witness stand to bolster his argument.

But the court dismissed the application.

This week, Thobeka Msengana, spokesperson for the Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation (UFM), told the publication the spotlight in the court case had shone on Botha and distressed the family.

“It is devastating for the family to witness another GBV [gender-based violence] incident committed by the same man who brutally killed their beloved daughter,” said Msengana.

Msengana said Uyinene’s legacy was honoured through the annual Uyinene Mrwetyana Foundation Anti-GBVF Walk that took place in East London and Cape Town.

“Her legacy lives on through the foundation’s work with youth development programmes,” said Msengana. She said victims “should never feel guilty or ashamed of speaking up”.

“They should know there is support from organisations such as UMF that will stand in solidarity [with them] and support survivors and their families.

GBV is not something to be faced alone — it requires a collective effort and support,” said Msengana.

“Organisations and communities need to commit [themselves] to creating a safe and secure community for women, young people and children. We need the government and legal authorities to start protecting survivors, not perpetrators. We need harsher sentences for perpetrators and an effective justice system.”

-TL

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