The attempted rape trial of Luyanda Botha, who was convicted for the murder of university student Uyinene Mrwetyana in 2014, has been postponed to Friday in the Wynberg Regional Court in Cape Town. Botha is charged with the attempted rape of a woman when she was 21 years old. The case took place at the nursing college in Athlone in June 2014. The victim's statement was taken by Sergeant Oscar Dada from the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit, who learned about the victim's visit to the doctor in 2019. The case was previously struck off the court roll after the victim failed to appear in court.
The court heard that the victim had a towel wrapped around her body and told two students someone had held her hostage in the shower and wanted to rape her. They went looking for the perpetrator but couldn't find him. CCTV footage showed Botha entering the residence but did not see him leaving. The case has been postponed, and the State is expected to call two more witnesses, including the woman Botha claims was his girlfriend at the time.
Mrwetyana's murder made national headlines after she was murdered at the Claremont Post Office by then employee Botha. Botha assisted Mrwetyana in making inquiries about her parcel due for collection, which arrived on August 16, 2019. Botha was alone inside the post office and let her in, making it the last time she was seen alive. She was raped twice, her body hidden inside the safe of the post office, and later dumped and doused with an accelerant before being set alight. Botha was sentenced to three life terms for his crimes.
