Mamelodi serial rapist sentenced to over 400 years in jail

A 34-year-old Mamelodi serial rapist’s reign of terror in which he broke into numerous households, robbing his victims and then raping women while threatening them with a weapon has received a jail term of over 400 years.

Doctor Nkurube Maruma appeared in the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday, where the sentence was handed down.

Jail term

The serial rapist received 491 years in prison for 19 rapes, 15 housebreakings and robberies with aggravated circumstances and other related charges.

The court ordered that the sentences run concurrently with the life imprisonment term, with Maruma declared unfit to possess a firearm.

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Court proceedings

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the serial rapist pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations.

“However, the prosecutor Advocate Vusimuzi Tshabalala presented DNA evidence linking Maruma to the crimes and led compelling testimonies from the victims. During sentencing, Maruma, through his legal representative, asked the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentences because he was young when committing the offences and could not fully comprehend the magnitude of his offences.”

Mitigation

Maruma asked the court to consider his unfortunate upbringing when imposing the sentence.

However, Tshabalala opposed the request, arguing that Maruma was 26 years old when he began offending, fully aware of his actions, and showed no remorse for the offences because Maruma laughed and mocked victims during their testimonies, claiming to be bewitched.

Tshabalala said, the serial rapist preyed on women and children who are regarded as the most vulnerable people in society by unlawfully entering their houses, robbing and raping them.

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‘No remorse’

Mahanjana said Judge Mashudu Munzhelele agreed with the state and emphasised that Maruma showed no remorse and mocked victims’ suffering during the trial.

“The judge said Maruma was not a productive member of society, he committed crimes instead of seeking honest work and terrorised his community through calculated, repeated criminal acts.

“In addition, Judge Munzhelele said the sentence imposed should send a strong message that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and similar crimes will not be tolerated. Therefore, the court found no substantial and compelling circumstances to justify a deviation from the prescribed minimum sentences,” Mahanjana said.

Reign of Terror

Maruma’s reign of terror was committed between October 2017 and August 2022.

Between 2017 and 2018, Maruma committed these offences in Limpopo province while he was still residing there. 

Mahanjana said that when Maruma moved to Pretoria, he continued with his modus operandi from 2019 until 2022, when he was arrested. 

“During this period, Maruma broke into 15 households, his oldest rape victim was a 38-year-old woman, while his youngest rape victim was a15 year old girl.”

Arrest

“On 1 October 2017 at about 02H00 Marumo raped the 38-year-old-woman at her home in Limpopo while she had gone an outside toilet to relive herself.  On a different incident Marumo raped the 15-year-old girl in the presence of her mother after he broke into their home in the middle of the night,” Mahanjana said.

Maruma was finally arrested on 14 August 2022, shortly after raping and robbing another victim of three cell phones and two laptops.

The victim alerted a neighbour, who, while searching the area, stopped a police vehicle that was passing and reported the incident. Police later spotted and arrested Maruma.

GBV

Acting Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Advocate Marika Jansen Van Vuuren, commended the prosecutor for his dedication and resilience in securing the conviction.

“This landmark sentence sends a powerful message that crimes of gender-based violence (GBV) will be met with the full might of the law. It reflects the NPA’s unwavering commitment to ensuring justice for victims, holding perpetrators accountable, and protecting the most vulnerable members of our society.”

Van Vuuren said “serial offenders” like Maruma have no place in our communities, and the NPA will continue to “pursue justice without fear or favour”.

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