Magistrate Deon Minnie said during sentencing that the crimes Aaron Sipho Sibanyoni has been convicted of are horrendous enough to justify the imposition of the maximum sentence.

Sibanyoni was found guilty on 12 of 16 charges varying from rape to kidnapping, common assault and sexual assault.

Sibanyoni was positively linked by DNA in most of the cases. One of the victims was an elderly woman, but all the other victims were boys under the age of 14 years. One of these boys was only nine years old. The others were 10, 11, 12 and 14 years old.

In most of the cases, he lured his victims to areas where their cries of distress could not be heard.

Magistrate Minnie said that an aggravating factor for sentencing was the fact that the accused appears to be a serial rapist.

Impact of offences on victims. He highlighted the impact which these offences had on the victims.

“The fact that the victims were young children, made them defenceless and vulnerable.”

Magistrate Minnie said that it is evident from the contents of the exhibits that the offences Sibanyoni had committed against the young male victims had, and still have, far-reaching effects.
Sentence:

The complete sentence was as follows:

• Five consecutive life terms of imprisonment on five of the six rape counts.

• 10 years imprisonment on one of the rape counts.

• On the four kidnapping charges and one assault charge, he was sentenced to three months imprisonment for each, suspended for three years.

• For the sexual assault, he was sentenced to six months imprisonment. This sentence will be served concurrently with the life terms.