Mbombela - A man found guilty of raping and robbing a woman in front of her 12-year-old son was sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison by the Nelspriut Regional Court on Friday.
Kagiso Malumane, 21, from Manyeveni Trust near White River, Mpumalanga, pleaded not guilty to charges of housebreaking, robbery and rape, a Sapa correspondent reported.
He was accused of raping the 31-year-old woman in October 2012. The victim lived with her only son in a one-roomed shack in Manyeveni Trust.
During sentencing, magistrate Andre Geldenhuys said the accused, who was 19 years old at the time, had planned the attack well.
“You knew the woman lived alone with her 12-year-old son, and that she sold clothing for a living,” he said.
“After you broke the door and entered, you threatened her with a 25 centimetre knife and she was so scared that she did not fight back.”
Geldenhuys said that after insulting her, Malumane raped her while her son watched.
“When finished with your evil act, you then ransacked her house, robbed her of her cellphone, DVD, clothes and other valuable items that you could sell,” he said.
Geldenhuys said Malumane was well employed as a gardener at Luvolwethu Primary School in the same area.
He earned R1940 monthly.
“At night, you turned into a thug and went out to commit crimes. You are a danger to society and the community is fed up with criminals like yourself,” he said.
Geldenhuys said the woman had done nothing wrong to be violated in that manner and emphasised that she had a right to live safely in her house.
“A statement by your defence that you showed remorse, and that you want to apologise to the woman is rejected by the court. You lied to your attorney from the beginning. Your apology will never take away the pain you caused to the woman and her son,” he said.
Geldenhuys said the accused needed to rehabilitate himself as he was still a young man.
“You are sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for housebreaking and robbery and another 10 years for rape. Sentences will not run concurrently,” he said.
Sapa