Johannesburg - Two rapists were dealt hefty sentences by the High Court in Johannesburg, sitting in Palm Ridge, on Friday, the National Prosecuting Authority said.
Former dance teacher Thanduxolo Maphela received four life terms plus 32 years on eight counts of raping minors aged 11 to 13, NPA South Gauteng spokeswoman Phindi Louw said in a statement.
She said Thabo Seabo Chabalala was sentenced to in effect 40 years' imprisonment on two counts of rape, robbery and pointing of an object resembling a firearm.
Maphela asked the girls to accompany him into a veld in Roodepoort to collect sticks and other material used in traditional dancing, then called them into the bushes individually and raped them.
Chabalala's crimes were committed in Honeydew and Northriding.
“The accused targeted women who were alone in isolated areas,” said Louw.
He would point something resembling a firearm at them and demand their belongings before pushing them into bushes and raping them.
Louw said that, in sentencing them, the court took into account the trauma the victims' endured in retelling their ordeals in court, the effects of the crime on their dignity and self-worth, and the country's current state, insofar as violent crimes were concerned.
“The judge therefore decided that the State's argument that retribution should take preference against rehabilitation is valid,” she said.
Sapa