Rapist sentenced to lengthy jail term
The movement in the room woke the woman up and as she turned to see who was in the room, she felt a hand cover her mouth and someone begin to throttle her
A 39-year-old man was recently sentenced to a lengthy prison term for a rape he committed in the area in which he lived.
In the early hours of Monday morning, March 23 last year, 39-year-old Joseph Mandla Magasela broke into a house in the Thembalihle area of Steadville.
Inside the house was a young woman with her 13-month-old baby. As the woman slept innocently with her child, the man removed the light bulb from its socket. The movement in the room woke the woman up and as she turned to see who was in the room, she felt a hand cover her mouth and someone begin to throttle her.
She struggled against her attacker and in her efforts to get free, she fell off the bed. She quickly felt around on the floor and was lucky to find her cell-phone. She quickly switched it on and in the dark, she recognised her assailant as one of her neighbours from the area.
Magasela threatened to shoot her and then proceeded to rape her before leaving the house, taking her cell-phone with him.
The incident was reported to Ladysmith SAPS and a case docket was opened. It wasn’t long before detectives were knocking at the suspect’s door. Neighbours confirmed that he had left, but were unable to tell police where he had gone. Two days later, the suspect handed himself over to police.
Magasela stood trial in the Ladysmith Regional Court and was sentenced on February 11 to five years’ imprisonment for housebreaking and 15 years for rape. He was also found unfit to possess a firearm.
Constable NR Mazibuko of the Ladysmith FCS Unit was tasked with the investigation. She welcomed the sentence and thanked Regional Court Prosecutor Mrs S Singh for all the assistance and support during the investigation.
