Justice prevails as rapist is sentenced

Mhlambe was arrested in 2014 after he had raped and sexually assaulted 11 young boys in and around Sebokeng starting in 2011. He was on Tuesday given 12 life sentences imprisonment for rape,75 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances, 12 years for sexual assault, five years for attempted rape, five years for pointing a fire-arm, six years for kidnapping and 12 years for forcing a child to witness an offence in the form of a sexual assault.

The modus operandi Mhlambe would use is that he would catch his victims by lying, promising them expensive clothes and telling them to accompany him to various places to fetch boxes or sometimes wood. He would then rape the young boys next to the Kwaagastroom train station in Zone 10.

A parent of one of the victims stated that her marriage was falling apart because her husband blamed her for what Mhlambe had done to her son. “My life will never be the same again. Our children have been violated and will be scarred for life. I think I speak for all of us when I say that justice was served,” she said.

The state revealed that during the court proceedings, Mhlambe further traumatised his victims by pleading not guilty, therefore forcing them to testify and relive the traumatic events as they happened.

A victim impact report revealed that the victims would face prolonged cases of isolation, anger, trauma, depression and low self-confidence. Judge Dama said Mhlambe’s owning up at the last minute was just a ploy to get sympathy from the court, “The court does not take any of this into consideration.” Dama further congratulated the investigating officer Constable John Mokoena for doing an outstanding job.

 lebo.chaha@media24.com