Motsepana Lolo Madigoe, was sentenced to three life terms plus 76 years imprisonment by Polokwane High Court.
A serial rapist was yesterday sentenced to three lives plus 76 years imprisonment.
The Limpopo Polokwane High Court convicted and sentenced a 39-year-old man, Motsepana Lolo Madigoe, from Seleteng Ga-Mphahlele for five counts of rape, three counts of housebreaking, kidnapping and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
During the trial, the accused pleaded not guilty, and the court heard that between June 2015 and August 2020, the accused was terrorising the community members of Seleteng, Makotse and Lebowakgomo, by breaking into their houses and threatened them with a knife demanding money before raping them.
In another incident, the complainant was walking on a footpath with the accused when he threatened to kill her, and then drag her into the bushes and raped her. The accused was linked through the DNA in all the offences.
In aggravation of the sentence the state Advocate Manyenya David Sebelebele has submitted that the accused is convicted of a serious offence that involved violence and cases of this nature are very prevalent not only in the province, however, South Africa as a whole.
He then said that the court should take into consideration that vulnerable people were targeted and that the victims suffered serious injuries because of this offence especially the elderly women of 56 and 74 years of age who were assaulted before being raped by the accused.
The advocate concluded by saying that the sentence should not only be fair to the accused, but the court should also look at the interests of the society.
In sentencing, Judge Naude Odendaal remarked that the accused showed no remorse and was arrogant during the proceedings of the trial. She also said that all the victim’s lives are ruined and will never be the same again.
She further said that the accused is a sexual predator who should be removed permanently from the community. The court concluded by saying that an appropriate sentence should be a minimum sentence and it did not find any substantial or compelling circumstances to deviate.
The court then ordered that the sentence should run concurrently. “The NPA welcomes the sentence imposed and nothing can be an excuse for violence against women. The Director of Public Prosecutions advocate Ivy Thenga commended the good work done by Advocate Sebelebele and Investigating Officer, Sergeant Magaila Makopo of Lebowakgomo Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offence Unit,” says Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, NPA Regional Spokesperson.