Man who kidnapped, raped two girls and forced them to make child pornography found guilty

A 35-year-old Magaliesburg man has been found guilty of heinous crimes, including kidnapping and raping two minor girls in front of each other and using them to create child pornography.

Two underage girls were walking in the streets of Tarlton, in Gauteng, on 26 February 2023 when Lethlogonolo Mothlapeng approached them, stopped his car, and pointed a gun at the pair.

He commanded the girls to get into his car, and out of fear, they complied.

Accused created child pornography with two victims

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said Mothlapeng then drove to his Magaliesburg home, where he ordered the girl to undress and pose for explicit photos and videos.

Using his phone, Mothlapeng created child pornography pictures showing the two minors forcibly engaging in sexual acts with him.

Mjonondwane said he also raped each girl in front of each other in his bedroom.

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“Following the commission of the crimes, Mothlapeng attempted to intimidate the victims by threatening to share explicit content on social media if they reported the incident,” she said.

However, the brave girls reported the incident to the police, and they arrested him at his house on the same day.

Mothlapeng faced 10 counts in his trial at the High Court in Johannesburg, including two counts of kidnapping and rape, intimidating his victims with a gun, and child pornography, including creation, possession, and using children to create explicit content.

Mothlapeng pleaded not guilty

He was also charged with forcing children to witness sexual offences on two separate occasions.

Despite the severity of the charges, Mothlapeng pleaded not guilty.

Mjonondwane said that during the trial, Senior State Advocate Rachel Kau called one of the victims to testify, and she shared her distressing experience.

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“She described how the accused forced her and her friend into his bed, where he subjected them to a traumatic and exploitative ordeal, including exposure to pornographic material and subsequent rape,” she said.

The video Mothlapeng recorded during the commission of the crimes also served as damning evidence.

Mjonondwane added that given the overwhelming nature of the video, the court concluded that Mothlapeng could not credibly deny his involvement.

Sentencing on Monday

“All cases of sexual violence encroach on the rights to dignity and privacy of the victims as enshrined in our constitution; hence, the NPA aggressively prosecutes these cases,” she said.

The accused was found guilty. His case was postponed to Monday, 2 September, for sentencing.