26 life terms for dad and son rapists

Father and son duo Booi Makhubela and Rodgers Makubela awaits their fate as they sit in the South Gauteng High court on Monday morning. They face 39 charges including 17 of rape. Picture: Timothy Bernard 03.12.2012

Father and son duo Booi Makhubela and Rodgers Makubela awaits their fate as they sit in the South Gauteng High court on Monday morning. They face 39 charges including 17 of rape. Picture: Timothy Bernard 03.12.2012

Published Dec 14, 2012

Share

Johannesburg - The Alexandra serial rapist father-and-son team will spend a long time in jail.

Booi Makhubela, 50, and his son Rodgers, 26, were sentenced to a collective 26 life terms each for rape at the Johannesburg High Court on Thursday, three years after they were arrested. The sentences are to run concurrently.

Judge Ronald Sutherland began with the summation of his reasons for not “straying away from the prescribed minimum sentence”. He went through all the emotional and psychological impact the rape incidents have had on the 10 complainants.

He described the women’s post-rape trauma as “residual pain”, stating that their “self-confidence has been shattered” and that the women “lived in perpetual fear of travelling”.

The Makhubelas were found guilty earlier this month of picking up women in a white minibus taxi and promising to drop them off at various destinations.

The women would later be raped, assaulted and robbed.

“Dignity is a central value in our society as reflected in our constitution. The act of rape is intrinsically degrading,” said Judge Sutherland.

He described the father and son’s attitude towards women as barbaric and said they treated women as “so many units in a commodity”.

“Your mindsets is the antithesis of social values,” he added, slamming the pair for not showing remorse during testimony and lambasting the duo’s description of the women – who they had said were sex workers – as intolerable.

“It can be inferred from the evidence that accused one (Booi) has influence on accused two (Rodgers) as all rape incidents occurred in his presence.

“But accused two has shown to be a belligerent and assertive person, and so his liability cannot be diminished,” said Judge Sutherland.

Before delivering the final blow, the judge explained the gravity of the Makhubelas’ crime spree.

Then Judge Sutherland handed out 26 life terms each for the 26 rapes.

They were also sentenced to 10 years each for each of the 10 charges of kidnapping and 10 years each for each of the four charges of robbery with aggravated circumstances.

For the seven assault charges, they were handed down 15 years each.

Both defence counsel for the Makhubelas advised the court that they would be appealing the sentencing.

[email protected]

The Star

Related Topics: