A Soshanguve man was sentenced to life behind bars after for the rape of a 17-year-old teenager.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the sentence of life imprisonment handed down by the Pretoria North Magistrates’ Court to Lehlohonolo Monareng (32) from Soshanguve.
“On July 16, 2023, Monareng went to the victim’s place of residence, where a traditional ceremony was held. During the ceremony, the victim was responsible for serving traditional beer to the guests who had come to attend.
“Later that evening, at about 20h00, some guests left. The victim went to the toilet while inside Monareng forced the door open, blocked the door with the chair, closed her mouth, undressed her, and begin to rape her.”
Mahanjana saidthe victim’s cousin saw what was happening through the window and alerted the elders who were still around, sitting by the fire.
“The elders forced the door open, Monareng ran, leaving the victim lying on the floor. However, he was apprehended as he ran out of the gate. Police were called and Monareng was arrested on the scene and has been in custody since after the NPA successfully opposed his release on bail.”
She said Monareng pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied committing the offence in court.
“During the sentencing proceeding Monareng asked the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment because the accused was young at the commission of the offence, and the complainant did not suffer any physical injuries except the inherent rape injuries.
“However, in aggravation advocate Thwala argued that Monareng was convicted of a serious and rife offence of gender-based violence that is not only prevalent in the courts’ jurisdiction but the country. Despite overwhelming evidence, Monareng showed no remorse, indicating he cannot be easily rehabilitated.”
Mahanjana added that the impact of the offence on the victim is lifelong.
Advocate Thwala also read into the record the Victim Impact Statement (VIS) facilitated by the Court Preparation Officer Maano Magondo, where the victim stated that the incident not only affected her emotionally, but she also dropped out of school because she could not concentrate and feared the stigma attached to rape as such she resorted to drinking alcohol in hopes to forget about the incident.
Magistrate Pieter Nel agreed with the state that Monareng did not show remorse and found that there were no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence; instead, there were more aggravating factors, and the suffered irreparable emotional and psychological damage. Therefore, the sentence given was appropriate.
“The NPA hopes that the sentence will serve as a deterrent to those want to be sexual offenders.“
