A North West court sentenced one man to life for raping a 13-year-old Ottosdal girl, while his accomplice received eight years for kidnapping.
The Atamelang Regional Court sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping a 13-year-old girl from Ottosdal, North West, while his accomplice got eight years.
The court found 30-year-old Mohau Jan Mogale and 29-year-old Thabo Isaac Molusi guilty of rape and kidnapping in connection with a 10 November 2017 incident.
Mogale and Molusi accosted the 13-year-old girl while she was walking home.
Girl taken to house and locked into bedroom
Investigators revealed that Mogale grabbed the girl by the hand while Molusi threatened her with an empty beer crate. The duo ordered the victim to accompany them by force.
The court heard that the girl was taken to a house in a section called Iraq in Ottosdal and was locked inside the bedroom. More investigations revealed that both men had left the house.
“He then ordered the victim to take off her clothes, and she refused. Molusi then forcefully undressed the victim and raped her throughout the night,” said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Sivenathi Gunya.
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Molusi left her in the room the following day, and she was able to return home. On her way home, the girl met her uncle and sister, who were searching for her.
The girl’s relatives informed the victim’s mother; a case was opened, and both men were identified and arrested.
In court, both men pleaded not guilty but were convicted based on overwhelming evidence presented by the prosecution. The Atamelang Regional Court convicted Mogale of kidnapping and Molusi of rape and kidnapping.
Kidnapping and rape convictions
Advocate Edward Manicus underlined the high rate of gender-based violence and the vulnerability of women and children in South Africa in the aggravation of the sentence.
Manicus also presented two victim impact statements from the victim and her mother, detailing the physical and psychological trauma they suffered.
He urged the court to impose the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment to protect society, especially vulnerable members like children.
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In his ruling, Magistrate Stephan Du Toit stressed the demoralising and humiliating impact of rape on victims and emphasised the courts’ duty to protect them.
Mogale was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment for kidnapping, and Molusi received life imprisonment for rape and an additional eight years for kidnapping.
Name included in national register for sexual offenders
The court ordered that Molusi’s name be included in the National Register for Sexual Offenders and declared him unfit to possess a firearm.
The Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, Rachel Makhari, welcomed the sentences and commended the dedication of Manicus and others involved in securing the conviction.
“This sentence serves as a crucial deterrent against perpetrators of gender-based violence in our country,” said Makhari.
“We must continue to ensure justice for victims and take a firm stance against such heinous acts.”
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