GQEBERHA- In a landmark ruling, the High Court of Gqeberha has sentenced Moses Gqesha(45) to multiple life terms for brutal crimes committed in December 2010. Gqesha’s victims included a local Gender-Based Violence activist and businesswoman, Andisiwe “Andy” Kawa, who was kidnapped, assaulted, robbed and raped repeatedly at King’s Beach, Summerstrand.
According to Eastern Cape National Prosecuting Authority(EC NPA), Terrifying ordeal began when Kawa noticed Gqesha behaving suspiciously while she was out for a walk. After briefly losing sight of him, he chased her down, assaulted her and threatened her with a knife and broken beer bottle.”
He then forced her to accompany him to a secluded spot where he raped her multiple times throughout the night. Kawa managed to escape the following morning and immediately reported the matter to police.
A decade-long wait for justice ended when Gqesha was finally arrested in 2020 for an unrelated theft case.
His DNA was matched to forensic samples collected from the 2010 crime scene. The court sentenced Gqesha to 8 life terms for rape, 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances, 10 years for kidnapping, 5 years for assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, 4 years for theft.
Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions Barry Madolo had this to say, “This sentence affirms our unwavering commitment to pursuing justice for victims of gender-based violence. It sends a strong message that crimes of this nature will not go unpunished and that the long arm of the law will eventually catch up with perpetrators.”
In addition NPA Regional Spokesperson in the Eastern Cape Luxolo Tyali emphasized that, “This sentence welcomes our commitment to pursuing justice for victims of gender-based violence, regardless of how much time has passed. It sends a strong message that crimes of this nature will not go unpunished.
photograph:supplied
