An Eastern Cape man found guilty of raping a minor 27 years ago has been sentenced to an effective 11 years behind bars.

Xolani Qanqane, 58, was found guilty of rape in the Zwelitsha Regional Court on Wednesday, the National Prosecuting Authority(NPA) confirmed, adding that this case was a solid affirmation that rape cases do not prescribe.

Qanqane raped the 14-year-old girl in 1997. The victim is now 41-years-old.

The NPA said the victim, now social worker, had been visiting a shopping centre in Qonce (formerly King Williams Town), where Qanqane was working as an independent photographer.

“She was with her cousin, and they decided to approach the photographer and request that he take a photograph of them,” said NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali.

“After the photoshoot, Qanqane lured the victim to a different location, stating that he was taking her to develop the photograph at another photographer’s stand.

“During that time, the victim’s cousin had gone into another shop to purchase some items.”

The NPA said Qanqane convinced the victim to take a photograph with him.

“A few days later, it came to the attention of the victim that the accused was claiming her to be his girlfriend and that he was sharing with people the photograph taken of the two of them to bolster his claim. The victim was very annoyed by this and was concerned that this would get to the ears of her parents. She decided to confront the accused at his place of work.”

Tyali said Qanqane offered to give the victim the photograph of the two of them.

“However, he said the photograph was at his house. As they got close to his vehicle the accused slapped the victim and bundled her into his vehicle. He then drove her to his flat in the nearby township of Dimbaza, where he violently raped her before threatening her with death if she told anyone about the incident. This terrified the victim and indeed she made no report about this incident for years.”

The NPA said in 2020 she had been crossing a road in East London when a minibus taxi passed her.

“She recognised the driver as the man who raped her years ago.

“The taxi had the cellphone numbers written on it and she took them down. After building up the courage, she phoned him with the sole purpose of seeking an apology. Instead of acknowledging his actions, Qanqane mistook her for someone else and told her that he was already punished for what he did to her.

“It was at that moment that the victim realized that she was not the only victim of the accused.”

She opened a case in 2021.

The NPA said the only evidence in the docket was the victim’s statement.

“The Senior Public Prosecutor, Brenan Sam, had to find evidence to corroborate the victim’s version after more than 24 years. He embarked on a painstaking process and built a case against the accused from scratch.”

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