Pretoria - Civil rights movement #NotInMyName has welcomed the lengthy sentence handed down by Gauteng High Court, Pretoria Judge Joseph Masupa to convicted serial rapist Sello Abraham Mapunya.
Mapunya, from Nellmapius in Tshwane, was on Thursday slapped with five life terms and a further 988 years’ imprisonment for 72 counts of rape, housebreaking and robbery with aggravating circumstances collectively.
“We are thankful that this criminal has been given 988 years and five life sentences. We want to thank the honourable court for doing the right thing,” said #NotInMyName secretary-general Themba Masango.
“South Africa continues to be faced with the scourge of gender-based violence and is known as the rape capital of the world. It is only sentences like this that will deter would-be perpetrators from continuing with their evil actions.”
The court also ordered that Mapunya’s name be added to the National Register for Sex Offenders.
North Gauteng regional spokesperson for the director of public prosecutions Lumka Mahanjana said Mapunya committed these offences in and around Pretoria from November 2014 to January 2019, raping multiple women. His youngest victim was 14 years old at the time of the rape.
“In some instances, he broke into the victims’ houses, robbed them and proceeded to rape them, either alone or with accomplices. Mapunya was arrested on 20 March 2019 in Mamelodi for cellphone theft, then his DNA samples were taken and linked him to rape cases opened at various police stations in and around Pretoria over a period of five years,” said Mahanjana.
Maponya initially pleaded not guilty to all the charges, but during the trial he submitted his formal admission.
“The then 14-year-old victim, who is now 19 years old, indicated in her victim impact statement that after the incident she found it hard to concentrate in class, which resulted in her grades dropping. Another victim told the court that six months after the incident she tested positive to HIV and Aids,” said Mahanjana.
“When delivering his sentence, the judge said Mapunya had no respect for women because he committed some of the offences during the period of 16 Days of Activism of No Violence Against Women and Children. Therefore, it was up to the courts to put on end to these crimes.”
State prosecutor advocate Pieter Coetzer had submitted that Mapunya was a textbook example of a serial rapist, who embarked on a reign of terror across South Africa’s capital city for five years. He added that due to the heinous actions of Mapunya, the innocence of victims was taken away and many lives were destroyed.
“The court preparation officer based at the director of public prosecutor’s office provided support to the victims before they testified in court,” said Mahanjana.
The National Prosecuting Authority has welcomed the sentence and commended the work well done by the police.
African News Agency (ANA)