Pretoria – A 43-year-old Limpopo man, Andries Nthambeleni Mulaudzi, has been sentenced to life imprisonment and an additional five years by the Sibasa Regional Court after being convicted of raping and kidnapping a teenager.
“Mulaudzi was found guilty of rape and kidnapping of a 19-year-old girl. The court ordered that the rape victim's name be withheld to avoid secondary victimisation,” said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in Limpopo Mashudu Malabi Dzhangi.
During the trial, the court heard that on March 18, 2016, the teenager was at a local tavern, drinking with her friends. Mulaudzi arrived and took her by force.
“The complainant (the girl) was beaten and threatened by Mulaudzi. The two witnesses tried to intervene. However, the accused overpowered them. He carried her to an unused house where he forcefully undressed and raped her,” said Malabi Dzhangi.
“The two witnesses called the police and the complainant was taken to hospital.”
She said during the trial, Mulaudzi maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty.
“In mitigation (of sentence), the defence … focused on the fact that Mulaudzi had been under the influence of alcohol during the commission of the crimes. However, in aggravation of sentence, advocate Rabelani Mutsinda Makhera told the court that there were no compelling and substantial reasons for the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence,” said Malabi Dzhangi.
The prosecution, led by Makhera, further argued that Mulaudzi was likely to commit another serious crime as he has a previous conviction of assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm.
Malabi Dzhangi said magistrate Avhurengwi Singo agreed with the prosecution and sentenced Mulaudzi to life imprisonment and five years.
“Both sentences were ordered to run concurrently,” she said.
African News Agency (ANA)