Rapist sentenced to life imprisonment

MBOMBELA – A lifelong prison sentence has been imposed on a 35-year-old HIV-positive serial rapist who lured desperate women through false job interviews.

Passing his judgement, judge Mr Francis Legodi sentenced Timothy Danger Magagula of Kamajika to nine life sentences for nine rape charges and a further 109 years for all the other charges, which all sums up to more than 330 years.

Magagula, who persistently maintained his innocence during his trial, was convicted guilty on all charges levelled against
him, including 12 charges of rape, nine charges of attempted murder, two of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, five of robbery with aggravating circumstances and three of kidnapping.

Passing his judgement, Legodi said Magagula was a serial rapist whose modus operandi was well planned and meticulously executed. “Infecting another person with HIV is almost like inflicting on another person a slow and painful death,” said Legodi.

He sentenced Magagula to life imprisonment each on nine counts of rape, three years each on two counts of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, seven years each on six counts of attempted murder, three years for theft, five years each on three counts of kidnapping, 15 years each on two counts of robbery with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm, 10 years
each on three rape part-three offences and 19 years on rape part-two offences.

Legodi added that the some of the sentences would run concurrently hence the total nine life imprisonment and 108 years.

Magagula had maintained his innocence, claiming that he had consensual sex with some of the women in the banana plantation as way of proving their love to each other.

When he was asked by the state prosecutor Adv Dorah Ngobeni if he had contacts to any of the claimed “lovers,” he said he had none and said he made a mistake in sleeping with them without using a condom. Two of the victims had since been declared HIV positive.

A clinical psychologist Maj Miriam Pogo who also gave a pre-sentencing report on Magagula, described him as a serial rapist who was highly likely to rape again if he returned to society.

“I’m of the opinion that Magagula’s cognitive distortion separates the offender from his actions which increases his possible re-offending. He sees no need to change.”

Happiness and satisfaction was seen on the faces of the victims and their relatives who filled the court room. “This is victory for the women who came out and told their stories to this court. This is victory for the restoration of their dignity,” said Ngobeni.