Jazzman Rikhotso’s reign of terror is over. Johannesburg High Court Judge Colin Lamont made sure on Thursday that Rikhotso, the man dubbed “The Avalon Cemetery Rapist”, felt the full wrath of the law for his crimes.
The judge handed down 17 life sentences to 31-year-old Rikhotso, for raping 12 women between April 2008 and August 2010 and forcing a child to witness the rape of her mother. All the life sentences are to run concurrently.
In addition to the 17 life sentences, Rikhotso got:
* Three years for each of the 10 counts of kidnapping;
* Six months for each of the five counts of assault;
* One year for another count of assault;
* One year for each of the four indecent assault counts;
* 15 years for each of the six counts of robbery;
* Five years for two counts of the possession of a firearm and
* Three years for another of possessing a firearm.
All these sentences are also to run concurrently with the life sentences.
“The accused has been convicted on a large number of offences done during a long period… The accused preyed on women who were either visiting the gravesites or were forced to be in the vicinity of Avalon Cemetery. In the bulk of the incidents, women were visiting the graves of those near and dear to them… While they were weakened and in a state of distress, the accused manipulated them,” Judge Lamont said as he began handing down the sentence.
Rikhotso’s youngest victim was 12 at the time of her rape and the oldest was 68.
“The accused indiscriminately raped women without concern for their age or fragility. Some women were raped in the presence of their family. In one case a child was forced to watch her mother being raped several times; her mother took steps to try to shield her child at a time when she herself was in great distress,” he continued.
Close to 20 people were seated at the courtroom gallery. Two women wiped their tears with damp, creased tissues as the judge spoke in detail of the rapes.
“The accused mentioned to one woman that she was lucky he hadn’t taken his tablets or it (the rape) would have lasted longer… He was extremely savage at times. One complainant who had not had sexual intercourse in a long time said ‘he was rough, so rough’ and the pain she experienced was apparent in this court,” Judge Lamont said.
Rikhotso didn’t use condoms when he raped the women and children.
He took away each of his victims’ right of choice, the judge said, adding that particularly for the children and young women “he took away the right for them to experience at their own pace the thrill of the first kiss with a new lover which in relationships would then lead to intercourse”.
Rikhotso, who had denied his involvement in the incidents, stood quietly at the accused dock with his checkered jacket over his head.
Judge Lamont said sternly: “In so far as society is concerned, it is apparent there was a reign of terror. There was a violent and vicious man trolling the cemetery.
“Society demands women walk freely to wherever they want, they wear whatever they want without fear.
“Your conduct has resulted in, I’m sure, many members of society not going to grave sites… Your conduct has had a direct impact on society and society demands very severe penalties be imposed.”
Timeline of terror: the trail of a serial rapist
* April 1, 2008: Rikhotso rapes and attacks a 54-year-old woman visiting her husband’s grave at Avalon cemetery.
* February 1, 2009: A 32-year-old woman visiting her son’s grave is attacked, throttled and raped twice at the cemetery by Rikhotso.
* January 12, 2010: A 20-year-old woman is raped in front of her mother.
* April 7, 2010: Rikhotso points a firearm at a 30-year-old woman who was at Avalon to get permission to bury her aunt in her mother’s grave, strangles her, rapes her and robs her of R300.
* April 26, 2010: Rikhotso kidnaps a 23-year-old woman at gunpoint, strangles her and rapes her.
* May 22, 2010: Rikhotso kidnaps two girls, aged 15 and 16, pushes one to the ground with an iron rod and takes turns raping each, thereafter forces them to wipe his penis with a cloth.
* June 8, 2010: He kidnaps two girls, aged 12 and 13, takes turns raping them. As he rapes each one, he throttles the other with one hand. After he is done, he forces one of the girls to wipe his penis with a cloth.
* June 25, 2010: Rikhotso drags a 68-year-old woman who had been on her knees cleaning her husband’s grave, throttles her, rapes her and robs her of R100 and a bag of oranges.
* July 18, 2010: Rikhotso pounces on a woman, aged 29, who was travelling with her young daughter, rapes the woman and forces her to wipe his penis with a tissue.
* August 21, 2010: A 26-year-old woman visiting her son’s grave is kidnapped and raped by Rikhotso.
Serial rapists have a set modus operandi
According to serial rape expert who testified before the Johannesburg High Court in aggravation of sentence on Thursday, these are the following ways to identify serial rapists:
* The offender will have committed at least two separate rapes.
* Strangers are typically targeted.
* Victims are raped outside in fields after being lured away from the original spot of meeting.
* The offender sticks to the same modus operandi throughout the series of offences.
* A prominent feature is that the crime scenes are within a specific geographic location.
* The lure of a con story is used on victims.
* Most serial rapists begin rape around the ages of 28.
The Star cannot name the expert as per a previous ruling by Judge Colin Lamont ordering that witnesses in the Jazzman Rikhotso case not be named.
The Star Africa