The Dzanani Regional Court sentenced a young man, Masala Mabaya (23), to life imprisonment on a charge of rape and 15 years for armed robbery last Thursday.
Mabaya raped a 26-year-old woman on August 2015 at Thembaluvhilo. The court heard that, during the night of the incident, the accused went to the victim, who was also his neighbour. The victim was alone at home when Mabaya arrived.
The court also heard that the accused pulled the victim to a nearby fowl shed, where he raped her repeatedly. He then ordered the victim not to tell the story to anybody, threatening to chop her head off, before letting her go later in the night. The accused raped the victim throughout the night. Despite the death threats, the victim decided to report the case to the police.
The accused was arrested a few days after the incident. He appeared several times in the Dzanani Regional court. The case was also postponed several times in the regional court, before it was finalised last Thursday.
Act 105 of 1997 considers robberies of this type as serious, said prosecutor Adv Mutsinda Rabelani Makhera. "Women must be free and the court should impose a heavy sentence in the rape case. People with knives and guns are dangerous to the public and could kill innocent people. Committing cases of this nature gives the court a clear indication that Mabaya is a criminal and dangerous to the society," said prosecutor Makhera.
When passing judgement, Magistrate Hanlie Kellerman said raping a woman was disgraceful and communities were sick and tired of women and child abuse, so they must be protected.
The spokesperson for the police, Col Moatshe Ngoepe, praised the justice system, saying the sanctions would serve as a deterrent to criminals-to-be.