Former SANDF member handed life term for rape, attempted murder
The Pretoria Magistrates Court on Wednesday sentenced former SANDF special forces operator Leon Santos Conga to life imprisonment for the rape and attempted murder of his former partner.
In 2018 Afriforum's private prosecution unit took the case of Antoinette Ndishishi, who accused Conga of failing to disclose his HIV status and knowingly infecting her with the virus.
Magistrate Fikiswa Ntlati found no reason to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment after the court convicted Conga of rape and attempted murder crimes in June this year.
“Like so many other cases monitored by AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit, this rape matter would not have reached this stage without our intervention. Antoinette displayed incredible resolve to have her voice heard and to ensure justice was done. But it is a demonstration of how hard women have to fight within the criminal justice system to hold perpetrators of gender-based violence accountable,” said Afriforum spokesperson Barry Bateman.
In June, Magistrate Ntlati convicted Conga of rape because Ndishishi only consented to having sex with him on the understanding that he was HIV-negative.
The court accepted Ndishishi’s testimony that if Conga had disclosed his status, she would not have agreed to have sex.
The couple had discussed the issue, but he withheld this information from her.
Ntlati convicted Conga of attempted murder because he infected Ndishishi with the virus despite knowing he was HIV positive and failed to inform her. The court accepted expert testimony that HIV infection is an "incurable and fatal disease".
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