The Gqeberha High Court has sentenced serial rapist Lonwabo Ndwe (33) to life in prison following his conviction on multiple charges, including rape, kidnapping, and robbery. The sentence was handed down on Thursday, 26 February 2026.
Nelson Mandela Bay District Commissioner, Major General Vuyisile Ncata, has welcomed the sentencing, which pertains to crimes committed in Kariega.
The charges stem from an incident in December 2023 at the Kariega railway station. A female security officer was on duty when a group of men attempted to rob security guards at the location. During the chaos, one suspect remained behind and raped the officer.
The matter was reported to the Kariega South African Police Service (SAPS). During the subsequent investigation, the Provincial Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit, in conjunction with the Serial Electronic Crime Investigation (SECI) unit, identified Ndwe as the perpetrator through DNA evidence.
Further forensic analysis linked Ndwe to a separate rape case in Butterworth. For those crimes, Ndwe was previously sentenced on 23 September 2025, in the Butterworth Regional Court to an effective 22 years’ imprisonment for rape, with additional sentences for kidnapping and robbery with aggravating circumstances running concurrently.
On 26 February 2026, the Gqeberha High Court convicted Ndwe for the Kariega attack and handed down the following sentences:
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Count 1: Rape – 25 years’ imprisonment
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Count 2: Robbery with aggravating circumstances – 7 years’ imprisonment
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Count 3: Kidnapping – 5 years’ imprisonment
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Count 4: Robbery with aggravating circumstances – 7 years’ imprisonment
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Count 5: Kidnapping – 5 years’ imprisonment
The court ordered that the sentences on Counts 2, 3, 4, and 5 run concurrently with the sentence on Count 1, resulting in an effective term of life imprisonment. Ndwe’s name will be inscribed in the National Register for Sex Offenders, and he has been declared unfit to possess a firearm.