Man Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Rape and Other Serious Offences in Gqeberha
GQEBERHA: A 24-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of rape, robbery with aggravating circumstances, kidnapping and attempted robbery with aggravating circumstances in connection with attacks on three women in Walmer between 2019 and 2022.
Thabiso Phillip was sentenced in the Gqeberha High Court on 24 August 2026 following an investigation by the South African Police Service (SAPS) Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit.
The court sentenced Phillip to life imprisonment on the rape charge, with the sentences imposed on the remaining 13 counts ordered to run concurrently with the life sentence. His name will also be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.
The three victims, aged between 23 and 30, were attacked in separate incidents in the Walmer area.
In the first incident, in December 2019, a woman and her sister were walking home from a tavern at about 00:30 when they were approached by a masked man who threatened them with a knife and attempted to rob them.
When the woman’s sister fled, the suspect allegedly dragged the victim to a nearby property, where she was sexually assaulted and raped.
In July 2021, another woman and her friend were walking to a friend’s residence at about 21:00 when they were approached from behind by a masked man armed with a firearm.
The suspect allegedly robbed the woman of her cellphone and cash before instructing her friend to leave. He then took the woman to a nearby house, where she was raped.
The third incident occurred in May 2022, when a woman was walking to work at about 06:10. She was allegedly approached from behind and threatened with being shot if she screamed.
The suspect then took her into a nearby yard, where he robbed her of her cellphone and cash before raping her.
The cases were investigated by Warrant Officer Thabang Shilajoe of the FCS Unit, who linked Phillip to the three incidents.
Acting Nelson Mandela Bay District Commissioner Brigadier Loyiso Ngalo commended Shilajoe and the FCS Unit for their investigative work, saying the conviction demonstrated the importance of thorough investigations into sexual offences.
The sentence brings the three cases to a conclusion in court and means Phillip will spend the remainder of his life in prison, subject to the provisions of South African law.