Cape Town — A serial rapist who has terrorised woman in the North West for more than six years has been handed 11 life terms and been sentenced to 363 years in prison.
43-year-old Johannes Tshabile was found guilty on 65 charges which included rape, attempted murder, theft, robbery with aggravating circumstances, robbery, attempted robbery, assault, assault with intent to commit grievous bodily harm (GBH), attempt to commit a sexual offence, and sexual assault, TimesLIVE reported.
“Tshabile’s conviction emanates from incidents between December 2012 and May 2018, wherein he accosted unsuspecting women on the streets. He would then drag them to nearby fields, threaten them with a knife, rob them of their belongings and rape them before fleeing.” the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said in a joint statement with the police.
In some instances, he would also strangle and stab his victims with a knife, and assault them with a brick before raping them. He would also sometimes target couples where he would attack the men before raping the women.
#sapsNW The High Court of South Africa; North West Division, sitting at the Klerksdorp Regional Court, sentenced Johannes Ontsheketse Tshabile (43), to 11 life terms on rape charges and a cumulative 363 years for other serious charges. #Sentencing NPhttps://t.co/H7d5Us5w1C pic.twitter.com/FEjqKe0SMF
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) February 23, 2024
Tshabile’s crimes came to an end in 2019 when he was arrested after an intense police investigation. He was linked to his crimes through DNA. He applied for bail but was denied and remained in custody.
“He also managed to escape from the Wolmaransstad police station, aided by a police officer. He was later rearrested and the police officer was dismissed from duty and criminally charged. The matter is still pending in court.” police said.
According to IOL, advocate Riekie Krause asked the court not to deviate from the minimum sentence of life imprisonment considering the trauma his victims went through.
Judge Tebogo Djadje agreed with the state and said it was the responsibility of the court to protect society against such predators, especially if they have lived in fear for almost six years. She described Tshabile as remorseless and an individual who had no regard for women and children.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Picture: Pixabay
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Matthew Petersen
