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In a tragic illustration of the ongoing gender-based violence crisis in South Africa, two men have been sent back to prison for life after committing rape while on parole for similar crimes.
The Protea Magistrate’s Court sentenced 39-year-old Albert Beukes to two life imprisonment terms for two counts of rape and an additional 15 years for a third count. He was also given an 18-month sentence for kidnapping.
He raped the first complainant, aged 29, after dragging her to an open veld in Eldorado Park when she was walking home from a nearby tavern on the night of 16 December 2014.
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She opened a case and DNA swabs were obtained and stored, since the perpetrator was unknown.
He raped the second complainant on 20 April 2016 when she was walking from a nearby tavern.
She too opened a case and DNA swabs were obtained and stored, since the perpetrator was unknown.
He raped the third 47-year-old complainant after entering her shack in Kliptown on 02 February 2019 when she was preparing to sleep.
“A passerby heard her screaming for help and rushed to the shack. Beukes was able to flee but left some of his clothes behind,” said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane on Thursday.
“Luckily she could recognise him and after opening a case, she was escorted by the police to the accused’s place. On arrival they found his wife, who positively identified his clothes.”
The accused was on the run, until the investigation by Captain Smith uncovered that he was a parolee who was released after serving a 12-year sentence for rape.
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Smith traced the accused through his parole officer from the Johannesburg Community Corrections.
They arranged to arrest Beukes during one of his visits to Community Corrections in July 2019. He was subsequently linked through DNA on the two 2014 and 2016 unsolved dockets.
In the separate case, the Protea Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday found 40-year-old Sibulelo Mxiki guilty of rape of a 33-year-old woman.
Mxiki and the complainant were family friends, and she had gone to Mxiki’s place on 26 December 2021 to greet his mother.
“The accused accompanied the complainant to her residence. Upon arrival, he threatened her with a rock,” said Mjonondwane.
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“He then took the keys from her and, while in the house, forcefully had repeated sexual intercourse with her.”
Mxiki was later arrested at his residential place after he was pointed out by the complainant.
In preparation for sentencing proceedings, Investigating Officer, Sergeant Themba Tshabalala from the Moroka Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit of the South African Police Service, gathered evidence that the accused was on parole for the offence of housebreaking and rape where he was sentenced to 10 years in July 2016.
Regional Court Prosecutor, Sanele Ndevu, submitted during aggravation of sentence that the accused violated the trust she had in him and that the accused is a repeated offender for similar offences.
He was sentenced to life in prison.
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