BUSHBUCKRIDGE – A woman who had been gang raped in front of her husband and young children, will hopefully find some comfort in the fact that her three attackers have been sentenced to life imprisonment for rape, 15 years for house robbery and an additional seven years for house breaking.
Russell Mokoena (32), Terry Maunye (33) and David Makwakwa (32) were sentenced in Mhala Magistrate’s Court this week for the brutal crime they had committed on October 15, 2012.
The woman had been asleep with her family in Relane Trust in Bushbuckridge. The children were aged seven and 12 years at the time. The family were awoken by the sound of footsteps in their home at about 01:00 that day.
Russell, Terry and David overpowered the family and threatened them with a pistol, screw driver and broken beer bottle. They first demanded cellphones and cash from the couple before they took turns raping the woman. They then locked the family inside their home and fled with their keys, a plasma television, cellphones and cash. It later emerged that the suspects had gained entry through a window.
“When news of the horrible crime broke, the community vowed that those involved will be arrested. Only a few days later, the suspects were spotted and the police were alerted. Russell, Terry and David were arrested at their various hideouts,” provincial police spokesman Brig Selvy Mohlala said.
Further investigations and DNA evidence confirmed the three men as the ones responsible for the crime. “This victory goes to the Bushbuckridge community, who worked tirelessly with the police in solving this matter. I am delighted to see citizens of this country, particularly in Mpumalanga, viewing crime as an unwanted act that ought to be rooted out. As the police in this province, we welcome the hefty sentences hanged on the necks of these senseless individuals and hope they will serve as a deterrent to other potential criminals,” said provincial police commissioner Lt Gen Thulani Ntobela.
