A total of 149 years.
That was the sentence handed down to Donald Masilela, who was convicted of three counts of rape, two attempted murders and four robberies with aggravating circumstances.
In March 2005, Masilela began luring young women to a forested area in Rosettenville, Joburg, where he would rape, assault and steal from them.
His first reported attack occurred on March 2, when he lured a young hairdresser from the Joburg CBD to the veld, promising her employment.
He led her to an isolated spot in the area and raped her at gunpoint.
Five days later, Masilela repeated the crime in Rosettenville.
His third victim was taken to the veld on March 18, where, after failing to rape her, he attempted to kill her.
The woman escaped, and Masilela went on to assault another woman later that day. Three days later, he took another victim to the veld.
Failing to rape her, he stabbed her with a knife and beat her in the head with the butt of his gun. He then stole her possessions and left her for dead.
Police arrested him in April 2005, but he managed to escape. He was rearrested in June.
Despite the severity of the sentence, a smile was evident on Masilela’s face throughout the proceedings.