The KwaMhlanga Regional Court in Mpumalanga has convicted and sentenced a 49-year-old man to two life terms and 10 years for three counts of rape.

Mpumalanga News reports the man pleaded guilty to committing these rapes in the Tweefontein area between 2017 and 2021.

He was declared unfit to possess a firearm and unsuitable to work with children, and the court further ordered his name to be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.

According to NPA regional spokesperson Monica Nyuswa, his method was the same in two cases.

“He targeted minor girls aged 10 and 16 on the street and took them to a secluded bush and forcefully raped them. One of the victims was repeatedly raped. The second victim was also hit with a firearm on the head. They did not know the perpetrator, but reported their ordeal to the police.”

Nyuswa added that on June 30 of 2021, the offender raped his 13-year-old niece after school.

“He asked the victim to make him some food. While she was busy preparing it, he grabbed her and forced her into a room, and raped her. The victim went to her neighbours, crying, and reported the incident. The police were alerted and the investigations led to his arrest. He was linked to the other rapes through DNA.

“State prosecutor Bianca Harmse argued that the man had committed serious crimes against a vulnerable group of society by exposing them to severe trauma, and she highlighted the physical injuries the minor victims suffered at his hands, asking the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence,” Nyuswa said.

Harmse further asked the court that the perpetrator be removed from society for a long period so that the community can be safe and free from him.