Court finds suspect guilty of Airfield rape – 14 years later

A SAPS-driven DNA collection project, launched at Modderbee Correctional Services in 2020, was integral in “career criminal” Jannetjie Mataoung (43) being found guilty on charges of rape, robbery and housebreaking in the Benoni Regional Court today (February 29).

Mataoung covered his face, staring blankly as Magistrate Rauwane Motsomane handed down the judgment.

He faced eight charges, including three of rape, house break-in with the intent to commit robbery, robbery with aggravating circumstances, assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm and two of house break-in.

The crimes were all committed in Airfield.

According to information received from a source close to the investigation, the accused is no stranger to court and prosecution.

Mataoung was convicted on charges of theft of livestock and handed a four-year suspended sentence in 2001 in Reitz and Mafube in the Free State.

In 2003, he was again convicted on the same charges and sentenced to 12 months in prison.

Shortly after his release, in the same year, he was arrested and charged with housebreaking.

He was handed a four-year sentence, one year of which was suspended.

It is alleged that he moved to Benoni in 2005 and soon became familiar with the Benoni Magistrate’s Court, where he was handed an 18-month sentence on theft charges.

On October 6, 2010, Mataoung was handed a suspended sentence for theft.

Rape
According to court documents, Mataoung and an accomplice entered the home of a 70-year-old woman on Wellington Street, Airfield, on October 10, 2010.

The victim, now 84, testified that the two men forcibly entered her home. She also said she was assaulted and raped three times.

Her handbag containing gold collector’s coins was stolen.

DNA evidence was collected at the crime scene.

In 2020, the Benoni SAPS spearheaded a project which saw the collection and capturing of DNA samples and fingerprints of all inmates at Modderbee, including those of awaiting trial inmates.

Samples collected from Mataoung matched those collected from the Wellington Street crime scene and those collected from a housebreaking on Stirling Street, Airfield, in 2017.

At the time, Mataoung was detained and awaiting trial at the correctional facility for housebreaking committed on Defiant Avenue, Airfield, in 2020.

The three cases were merged.

He pleaded not guilty to all counts, saying he had no idea how his DNA was found at two separate crime scenes.

Delivering his judgement, Magistrate Motsomane said in light of concrete evidence, which included irrefutable DNA evidence, Mataoung proved not to be a credible witness.

“The court finds the accused guilty on one count of rape,” he said.

“Even though the accused was not positively identified by the victim, collected evidence and samples collected during the SAPS project firmly place Mataoung at the scene of the crime and that of the housebreaking committed in 2017.”

He was also found guilty on charges of the 2020 house break-in.

Mataoung was found not guilty on charges of house break-in with the intent of robbery and acquitted on charges of assault with the intent to cause bodily harm.

Due to a lack of evidence that the accused was armed during the incident, the robbery with aggravated circumstances charge was lowered to common robbery.

He was found guilty on this charge.

Sentencing will commence on May 6.

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