Serial rapist sentenced to eight life terms for raping 16 women

A 36-year-old serial rapist has been sentenced to 8 life terms and 195 years in jail after being convicted for raping at least 16 women, the youngest being just 11-years-old.

Tshitso Mothesele appeared in the Pretoria High Court facing 15 counts of rape, 8 counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances and kidnapping,

The judge ordered that Mothesele’s name also be added to the National Register for Sexual Offenders and be declared unfit to possess a firearm.

Mothesele committed the offences between 2017 and 2018 in and around Carletonville targeting his victims when they got off public transport.

The convicted serial rapist would then drag them to a nearby veld, rape them and rob them of their belongings. 

The court also heard that six of his victims were minors with the eldest being 35-years-old.

The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Lumka Mahanjana said Mothesele was arrested on 15 December 2018, when a phone he stole from one of the victims was traced to a lady in Khutsong, which was sold to her by Mothesele.

“The accused was later linked to the offences by DNA, but Mothesele pleaded not guilty to the offences and attacked the credibility of the Forensic Science Laboratory in court, however, Prosecutor, Advocate Alicia Roos successfully proved that he was the donor of the DNA to the victims.”

Mahanjana said a state witnessed testified that Mothesele had no place in society and his actions left his victims traumatised,

“Lieutenant Colonel in the South African Police Service at the Investigative Psychology Section, told the court that Mothesele was a serial rapist, he showed no remorse, violence was used during the commission of the offences and he had no prospects of rehabilitating, therefore, he will remain a threat to society.”

Deputy Public Prosecutor Advocate Mzinyathi said the country is faced with a pandemic of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) and therefore such crimes would not be tolerated and will be prosecuted.

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