HIV-positive man who raped wife’s sleeping cousin sentenced to life

The Port Elizabeth Regional Court on Wednesday sentenced Mongameli Mapuma, 49, to life imprisonment for raping his wife’s 52-year-old cousin.

On 10 August 2019, the victim slept over at the Mapuma home in Port Elizabeth. She and Mapuma’s wife slept on the same bed, while he slept on the couch.

During the night, he went to the bedroom to have sex with his wife, but she refused.

His wife then went to sleep in the children’s room.

Mapuma returned to the bedroom and raped his wife’s cousin while she was asleep. She woke up while he was raping her.

She immediately reported the incident to his wife and they went to the police the next morning.

Mapuma raped the woman without a condom, even though he knew he was HIV positive.

During sentence proceedings advocate Kenny van Biljon argued that “there was no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life as the accused showed no remorse, raped her without a condom knowing well that he was HIV positive and it was even worse for the complainant as she was raped by her in-law”.

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