Pretoria - A man who was part of a gang who repeatedly raped two women, bit one in the face and shot dead two of another victim’s friends who tried to come to her rescue has been sentenced to a total of 224 years in jail.
The man sat with a shocked look on his face after the court ordered that he must serve an effective 140 years. Seconds after receiving the bad news, William Mohlabane, 33, of Putfontein near Benoni, sat down in the dock in the high court in Pretoria while his advocate tried to appeal the lengthy sentence.
Acting Judge MS Makamu was told the sentence was shockingly harsh, but he did not relent and turned down the application for leave to appeal. The judge found that no other court would come to a different finding.
Mohlabane, a taxi driver who is originally from Lesotho, was among others convicted of seven charges of rape, two of murder, attempted murder and abduction. He also used a semi-automatic firearm to terrororise his victims, the judge said.
Mohlabane pleaded guilty to all the charges. He explained that he and a friend were drinking and using dagga in a tavern near Benoni on February 25 last year. They saw a woman having drinks with a male friend. When the couple left, Mohlabane and his friend followed.
“We scared off the man who ran away and we grabbed the woman and pulled her into the bushes. I raped her twice. My friend forced a beer bottle into her mouth to keep her quiet. But she resisted and I then bit her in the face.”
Two months later, Mohlabane and three of his friends pounced on another victim. They were again in a tavern, drinking and smoking dagga. When they left they came across a group of women. They grabbed one and raped her.
Two of her friends who tried to rescue her were shot at point-blank range by Mohlabane.
He told the court he blamed his actions on substance abuse and peer pressure. But the judge rejected this. “You were the ringleader and the bad influence on your friends.”
Pretoria News