Life in prison for Mokopane rapist
A man from Mokopane was sentenced to life in prison by the Mahwelereng Regional Court on Tuesday 20 June after he was found guilty of raping an elderly woman.
Brig Malesela Ledwaba, the provincial police spokesperson, says the accused, Jackson Manamela (23), was apprehended in May, three days after an attack on an elderly woman (84), who resides in Mellenium Village outside Mokopane.
“The court heard during proceedings that the accused found the elderly woman cooking outside her shack on the day of the incident. He unexpectedly attacked and stabbed her with a pair of scissors on the forehead and dragged her into the shack.”
“The victim was robbed of R70 cash and of her social grant card before being raped by the accused. The accused then fled the scene.”
The victim survived the attack and sought help from a neighbor who then called the police.
Manamela was denied bail because the court established that he was already on bail for similar offenses he committed in 2019. According to the statement, it was the same victim and suspect as the 2019 case.
Manamela was charged again and found guilty by the court of robbery, rape, and housebreaking with the intent to steal from the victim, says Ledwaba.
He received three years imprisonment for robbery, 15 years for housebreaking with the intent to steal and to rob, as well as a life sentence for rape.
Ledwaba says the sentences will run concurrently.
The case was investigated by Sgt Ramokone Tinah Matsimbi of the Mokopane Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences unit (FCS).
