Ndudi Anyim
It was yet another victory for operatives of the South African Police Service in the Eastern Cape Province, as the Port Elizabeth High Court sentenced a serial rapist and three time murder accused, Sizwe Jika, to double life jail term.
It was gathered that Jika, 28, was convicted for the brutal murder and rape of an 83-year-old woman, Anne Ferreira, in May 2018. The deceased was found strangled in her Summerstrand home, while her car was found abandoned near Despatch.
Speaking on the matter, the Provincial Commissioner, Lt Gen Liziwe Ntshinga, said the accused was sentenced to15 years for housebreaking with intent to rob, 10 years for kidnapping, 15 years for robbery aggravating, life sentence for rape and life sentence for murder. He stated that all the sentences will run concurrent to the life sentence.
Ntshinga said Jika was however currently serving a 20 year sentence for the murder of Anne Smit, ages 86.
“ He is also currently serving a 16 year sentence for housebreakings committed between 2011 and 2018. He was sentenced for Smit’s murder and the housebreakings in June 2020. On 27 August 2020, he was yet again sentenced for the murder of Kelly Bain, 26, committed in July 2018, ” he said.
The Provincial Commissioner further revealed that the second accused in Ferreira’s case, Lindile Ndambade, 36, will appear in court on April 15, 2021.
While welcoming the sentence, Ntshinga also praised both the investigating officer as well as the prosecuting authority for ensuring that justice was served.
“ There must not be any mercy for criminals who attack defenceless and innocent women. A criminal, like Jika showed no remorse for his actions as he continued in a space of 3 months with his brutal attacks.
“ These convictions is resultant of hard work, thorough investigation and dedication by an array of departments working together in order to make sure that the State had, once again a water tight case against him.
“ Perpetrators of Gender Based Violence such as Jika must be punished and sentences such as this is a victory to both the police and the families of the victims, ” he stated.