Cape Town – A 39-year-old man convicted of 11 counts of rape and eight counts of robbery was on Friday sentenced to 11 life terms plus 15 years at the Thohoyandou High Court in Limpopo.
It was alleged that Given Maceke from Nyavani Village terrorised his victims between July 2013 ad June 2016.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the accused and an accomplice allegedly broke into the victims’ homes and attacked them, reported TimesLIVE.
“The accused and another male person were armed with knives, threatening the complainants before raping them. The accused would terrorise complainants at Green Farm, Nghezimani, Xigalo, Tshikonelo, Roodhuis and Nyavani villages,” the report quoted NPA spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi as saying.
Malabi-Dzhangi said Maceke was linked to the crime scene through DNA in 10 case dockets before the court.
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“During the trial, the accused pleaded guilty to all 19 counts, because the evidence of the State was overwhelming,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
During sentencing, the court was told that the accused had a previous rape conviction and the victims were raped by more than one person, reported IOL.
State prosecutor Nnyambeni Robert Nekhambele said that some of the victims were minors at the time and asked the court to permanently remove Maceke from society.
Meanwhile, deputy Judge President, Masaro Semenya said the attacks were calculated and premeditated, the report said.
Semenya said there were no substantial and compelling circumstances justifying the imposition of lesser sentences than that prescribed by the law.
Maceke was sentenced to 11 life terms for the rapes and 15 years imprisonment on each of the eight counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
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Picture: Facebook / South Africa Police Service
