63-year-old convicted of raping two pre-teens gets lighter sentence because of his age

The Hermanus Regional Court took a lenient approach when sentencing a 63-year-old convicted rapist.

The man confessed to raping two pre-teen girls left in his care by their parents between March and September 2021.

Prosecutors had sought the minimum sentence of life imprisonment for both counts, but the court chose to trim the sentence due to his age.

Rapist a former tenant

The girls were 10 and 12 at the time of the sexual assaults, which occurred while their parents were working at a guesthouse.

The elderly man had rented a room from the parents a year before the incidents and, after moving to another residence, was asked to look after the girls while the parents were at work.

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The court heard how he would help the girls with their homework and how they had trusted him, using that trust to convince them not to reveal the truth to their parents.

“He claims that he never hurt them physically, but he now realizes that he hurt them mentally and emotionally,” stated NPA Western Cape spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila.

Arguing that the abuse of the vulnerable was deserving of the minimum sentence, prosecutor Harold Engelbrecht stated that gender-based violence was a scourge affecting children in South Africa’s communities.

“The court sentenced the accused to 20 years direct imprisonment for each rape charge but ordered the sentences to run concurrently,” confirmed Ntabazalila.

Limpopo man gets two life terms plus 50 years

A 33-year-old man was given a hefty sentence for a string of crimes committed between 2012 and 2019.

Pitso Tswane was found guilty of several rapes in Bothaspruit, Ga-Phaahla and Ga Marishane villages.

He was also found guilty of housebreaking, as he would break into his victim’s homes to commit the crimes, occasionally with accomplices.

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Victims could not identify the man as his crimes were committed `while wearing a mask, but he was eventually linked to the crimes via DNA analysis.

“In aggravation of the sentence, state Advocate Shumani Tshishonga submitted that the accused was a serial rapist who was found guilty of serious offences and argued that he should be removed from society,” stated NPA Limpopo spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi  

The court concurred, sentencing Tswane to two life terms plus 50 imprisonment.