The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg have sentenced two men and a woman for a multitude of crimes committed in mid-2018.

The court sentenced two men to 18 terms of life imprisonment as well as an additional 27 years behind bars.

Tshepo Motswasele (20) and Katlego Rakgwale (20) were sentenced on April 6 while accomplices Cox Nhlanhla Molefe and Noluthando Masia received 18 and 20-year terms, respectively.

Together with Molefe (23) and Masia (21), the quartet was found guilty on several charges including multiple counts of trafficking in persons, kidnapping, rape, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, child pornography, pointing of something resembling a firearm, and theft. Masia was initially treated as a victim, but investigations revealed her significant role in the crimes resulting in her arrest and conviction.

The crimes were committed between May and July 2018 with their first victim being a 17-year-old girl who was promised money in exchange for sexual intercourse. The victim was lured to the home of Motswasele, Rakgwale, and Masia in Fleurhof, Randburg.

Upon arrival the victim was threatened with an object resembling a firearm, held against her will at the premises, assaulted, and raped repeatedly.

The court was convinced that the 17-year-old victim was threatened to such an extent that she was compelled to assist her captors in finding two additional female victims. These women were forced into the same situation, with the accused photographing and filming the rapes. The court heard how the accused released one of their victims when she pretended to be pregnant and bleeding.

The rapists searched for another victim, taking the three to Rakgwale’s family home in Dobsonville, where Motswasele and Molefe continued the sexual assaults. One victim was released when assailants found out that her boyfriend had tracked her whereabouts. Police were alerted to the ongoings at the Fleurhof flat and following a raid, rescued the victims which led to the perpetrators being arrested.

NPA regional spokesperson for the Gauteng Local Division, Phindi Mjonondwane, elaborated on the sentencing, saying: “In arguing for hefty sentences, senior state advocate Rolene Barnard, stated that trafficking in persons poses a risk to stability in society, causes humanitarian violations, and is equal to modern-day slavery. The investigating officer, Captain Mokebe Madibo, and advocate Barnard are commended for their hard work in ensuring that these organised crime syndicates are removed from society.”