A 47-year-old man, who was found guilty of kidnapping and raping two minor girls aged 11 and 13 at the Pretoria Hotel, was out on parole for the rape of an elderly woman when he committed the offences. He will be sentenced by the Pretoria magistrate’s court next month.

The man appeared in court on Thursday morning and the case was postponed to September 29 for a presentence report.

The report is an investigation into the social and legal background of the accused to determine the severity or leniency of a sentence.

The man was accused of kidnapping the girls from Lotus Gardens near Atteridgeville before taking them to a liquor store. He then booked a room at the Pretoria Hotel, where he raped both girls. This happened in November 2020.

Hotel patrons and staff called police after the 11-year-old went knocking on the hotel room doors, saying they had been raped.

Sunnyside police officers arrested the man and took the girls to Steve Biko Academic Hospital.

Earlier this month, both girls and the man testified in court.

The man was out on parole for the rape of an elderly woman at the time of the minors’ rapes.

According to Correctional Services spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo, the accused started serving a seven-year sentence for rape on June 11, 2012.

He was placed on parole on December 19, 2017. When he raped the two minors, he had six months left of his sentence.

Speaking to Pretoria Rekord outside the courtroom, the mothers of both girls said they were disappointed by the postponement as the court processes were emotionally draining. They, however, said they were hopeful.

“We hope that he will get two life sentences for each rape,” one of the mothers said.

“It has not been two years since the case started, the police and prosecutors are working hard on this case.

“We can see that there is a way forward.”