Life sentence secured for sexual predator
Solly Mabunda (47) was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Mhala Regional Court on October 30.
MHALA – The rapist gagged the victim by inserting a piece of cloth into her mouth before raping her, Brigadier Leonard Hlathi, the provincial spokesman for the police, confirmed.
“The preteen was his 12-year-old niece, who he gave R5 in the nearby bushes to be his girlfriend after he was done with her,” Hlathi said
In court it was testified on July 9, 2017 that the victim was undressed and sexually assaulted by her uncle. The victim’s mother proceeded to her bedroom and found a towel full of blood stains. The concerned mother then intensified her search and found her daughter in the nearby bushes in the uncle’s company.
The victim’s mother took her to a local clinic for medical confirmation of the violent sexual crime committed after she learned of the ordeal. The police was alerted and the sex offender was promptly arrested.
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In a separate but related incident, a 28-year-old man was arrested on October 29 for allegedly raping a teen student.
It was alleged that on October 21, the 18-year-old was at school when their teacher introduced a visitor who was sent by the Department of Education (DoE) to address grade 12 learners on medical scholarship opportunities in Russia.
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The victim’s cell number was taken by the alleged sex offender after she had shown a keen interest in the scholarship.
Later that day, the suspect called the victim and they met in his car. He purportedly told her that he had grade 12 exam papers that he wanted to give her, but she must first have sexual intercourse with him.
“After refusing, the suspect raped her in the back seat of his car,” Hlathi stated
The matter was reported to the police and the suspect was swiftly arrested. A preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect had lied about being sent by the DoE.
“The alleged sexual assailant is also implicated in other rape cases,” a police probe revealed according to Hlathi
The accused is in custody and will appear at the Acornhoek Magistrate’s Court today on a charge of rape.
