The Temba Magistrate’s Court has sentenced 28-year-old Thabo Mathibe to life imprisonment after he was convicted of raping a 70-year-old woman.
Mathibe was slapped with an additional 10 years in jail for housebreaking and declared unfit to possess a firearm.
North West spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Henry Mamothame said Mathibe manhandled the septuagenarian and assaulted her before raping her in 2019.
Community members intervened after hearing the old woman’s cries, and found Mathibe in the act.
“The conviction emanates from an incident that occurred on 9 February 2019, at Mathibestad near Temba, where the accused broke into the home of the complainant, who was in the presence of her two grandchildren.
“He then dragged her outside the house while assaulting her and he raped her. The neighbours heard her scream and rushed to her rescue. Mathibe was then apprehended on the scene and police were called to arrest him,” said Mamothame.
Mathibe had remained in custody since 2019, the duration of the trial.
“The State prosecutor, Tebogo Mosito, argued successfully for the court not to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentence of life imprisonment,” said Mamothame.
“He further argued how the complaint’s right to dignity was violated. Magistrate Gilbert Sono agreed with the State and sentenced Mathibe to life imprisonment.”
The director of public prosecutions in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari, has lauded the teamwork by the NPA, police and the neighbours that brought the rapist to justice.
“This conviction was made possible by the swift action of community members and such should re-enforce our advocacy against crime in our communities,” she said.
-IOL
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