A 38-year-old man has been handed five life sentences for raping young disadvantaged boys between 2018 and 2023.

Captain Solomon Sibiya from the Kagiso Police Station said in a statement that Michael Mncube was sentenced by the Johannesburg High Court to five life terms and 64 years in prison.

“From April 2018, the offender lured young victims into his house under the pretext that he was going to assist them with all costs needed for their school education. He further made his victims believe that he was a soccer coach and would transport them to sports grounds.”

Mncube also visited the young boys’ parents to get permission for them to sleep over at his house.

He had built outside rooms and each of his victims slept in a single room where he would visit them at night and rape them.

“The high court ruled that the offender took advantage of the disadvantaged children and made them believe that he was a good father figure who was going to make them better people in the future and alleviate their poverty at his own cost, knowing very well that he had evil intentions to sexually abuse the boys,” said Sibiya.

The dedicated Krugersdorp Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences Unit that secured the conviction was led by Lieutenant Colonel Neo Mekgwe, ably assisted by his team. They worked around the clock to gather information and even worked weekends to ensure a water-tight case.

Mncube was convicted in September for seven cases of rape, human trafficking, sexual assault, assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm, impersonating a police officer, and kidnapping.