Pretoria - A “dangerous” serial rapist who waged a six-month reign of terror in central Pretoria was jailed for 35 years on Tuesday.
The High Court in Pretoria sentenced 21-year-old hawker Reginald Temana to a total of 145 years' imprisonment.
He was convicted on eight counts of rape, one of attempted rape, three of robbery with aggravating circumstances, and five of theft.
Judge Cynthia Pretorius ordered that some of the sentences run concurrently, because Temana “would not live long enough” to serve the full sentence.
Last month, the court rejected Temana's claims that his victims were part of his harem of girlfriends. Pretorius found he had raped eight women and tried to rape a ninth victim in bushes on a mountain near the Pretoria zoo between October 2009 and March 2010.
All the women testified that the short, friendly Temana turned into a brutal rapist after approaching them on the streets of Pretoria's central business district.
He threatened and assaulted them, forced them into the bushes and raped them before robbing them or stealing their belongings.
His last victim was waiting for her boyfriend in the street after the rape and saw Temana walk by as if nothing had happened. She alerted a group of taxi drivers who caught him and handed him to the police.
Pretorius said it was clear Temana was a serial rapist who had used the same modus operandi throughout.
All of the victims had suffered not only physically, but also emotionally. It was hard for them to testify.
Some were emotional while testifying. Others were strong enough to have moved on with their lives, especially those who had received support from their families and spouses.
Pretorius said Temana's actions had been premeditated.
“It was by mere chance that one of his victims saw him and was brave enough to make sure that he was arrested. Otherwise, there may have been many more victims before the accused was arrested... It is clear that the accused is a person who should spend a long time in prison to ensure that he does not ruin the lives of other women and their families,” Pretorius said. - Sapa