Three life sentences plus 30 years were given to the ‘graveyard rapist’ from Ekurhuleni, who violated a woman, two teenagers, and a child at a Tsakane cemetery.

Abel Lebele was found guilty of four counts of rape and kidnapping on Tuesday by the Pretoria High Court sitting in Benoni.

These offences were committed against four females, aged 7, 13, 16, and 32, between January 2017 and August 2019.

According to the NPA regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana the court also ordered his name to be included in the national register for sexual offenders.

“His first and youngest victim was a seven-year-old minor.

“On January 19, 2017, when the minor was on her way to school, she met with Lebele, he called her and told her to come to collect sweets,” said Mahanjane.

Mahanjane said the minor refused and started running, however, Lebele caught up with her and dragged her to the cemetery, where he raped her.

“The accused raped a 32-year-old woman on August 19, 2019, while she had her two-year-old child on her back, whom he pushed to the ground and proceeded to rape the mother.”

During court proceedings Lebele pleaded guilty to the charges against him.

In his guilty plea he told the court that he targeted his victims on their way to school or home.

He also told the court that he would grab and drag them to the cemetery, where he raped them.

State prosecutor Adv Lawrence Sivhidzho told the court that rape was traumatic, adding that it did not only affect victims physically but emotionally too, saying that the perpetrator targeted defenceless young children and raped them at a cemetery.

“A cemetery is a respected place where loved ones are resting. I ask the court to impose a harsh sentence that will send a message,” Sivhidzho pleaded with the court.

Presiding officer Judge Portia Phahlane agreed with the statement that Lebele targeted defenceless victims, saying that rape was less about sex but about power and entitlement to women’s bodies.

“It is the duty of the court to send a clear message that such offences will not be tolerated,” Phahlane said.

Lebele’s application for leave to appeal was denied.