Man guilty of “corrective rape” of lesbian cousin

An Eastern Cape man has been found guilty of raping his lesbian cousin in an attempt to “cure” her of her sexual orientation.

The case was concluded in September, but only came to the attention of Mambaonline this week.

According to the Durban LGBTI Community & Health Centre, Anele Busukwe, 32, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the Mthatha Magistrates’ Court for the rape of Zikhona Mbutye, 24.

Busukwe forced his way into Mbutye’s home in the late hours of the 14th of March, telling her that he was there to prevent her from being a lesbian.

She struggled with him before running outside. He caught-up with her, beat her and raped her at a nearby sports grounds.

Busukwe then dragged Mbutye back to the house where he brutally raped her again, causing injuries that resulted in her being unable to walk for days.

The man had claimed he and his cousin were dating and therefore he did not rape her.

Mbutye commented that while she was “happy about the verdict and the sentence that [Busukwe] received,” this would not change the fact that she’d been violated and her life would never be the same again.

Sbonelo Ncanana, Coordinator at the LGBTI Community and Health Centre’s Mthatha Project, praised the young woman for her courage in pursuing justice.

He said that it is “not easy job for a black woman to brave a male dominated legal fraternity defending minority rights, especially those of a black lesbian woman.”

The centre also thanked the prosecution “for a job well done.”

So-called corrective rape is when someone perceived to be gay or lesbian is raped to “teach” them to behave or present themselves according to sexual and gender norms. The attacks, usually in South Africa’s townships and especially affecting lesbian women, often include the torture, mutilation or murder of the victim.