A former member of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has been convicted of attempted m¥rder and r@pe after intentionally infecting his girlfriend with HIV.
Leon Santos Conga appeared before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, where he was found guilty of r@pe and attempted m¥rder.
The victim, Antoinette Ndishishi, was represented by AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit.
AfriForum said it forced the SANDF to release Conga’s medical records, which revealed that he had been aware of his HIV status since 2007.
According to AfriForum, the SANDF initially refused to release the records that led the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to withdraw the case twice.
Conga became romantically involved with the victim, who is also in the SANDF, in 2016.
The victim said she only consented to having s£x with Conga on the understanding that he was HIV-negative.
She said they had discussed the issue before but Conga never disclosed his status.
She further added that if Conga had disclosed his status, she would not have agreed to have s£x.
