PASTOR Frank Tshabalala of the Jehovah Jireh Church was sentenced to two life terms for two counts of rape, 15 years direct imprisonment for statutory rape, 10 years for theft, and one-year direct imprisonment for assault.
Tshabalala (34) from Fochville in North West was sentenced at the Pretoria High Court sitting in Palm Ridge, Ekurhuleni, on Wednesday, 27 March.
Judge Anna Granova ordered that his name be added to the national register for sexual offenders.
On 8 June 2018, a 14-year-old girl passed a group of three men on her way home in Blybank, Carletonville.
After passing, Tshabalala, who was among the men, followed her, grabbed her hand, and took her to a soccer field, where he assaulted her, threatened her with a sharp object, and proceeded to rape her several times.
On 22 January 2019, Tshabalala met the second victim, a 26-year-old woman also in Carletonville, after he had promised her a job offer through Facebook.
ALSO READ Toilet death: Mum's pot left burning on stove
When the two met, Tshabalala walked with the victim and led her to a veld where he raped her and stole her belongings.
Thereafter, he started using the victim’s cellphone and contacted her relatives, promising them job opportunities.
He was arrested a few days later, on 26 January 2019, after the victim's relative agreed to meet with him in Carletonville in a police trap.
After appearing in court, Tshabalala was released on R5 000 bail. While out on bail on 26 January 2020, he promised a 23-year-old woman employment on Facebook and asked to meet up with her.
When they met at Gateway Mall in Carletonville, they then went to Fochville. When they arrived at the Fochville taxi rank, Tshabalala walked with her to a nearby veld where he raped her.
His bail was revoked after he was arrested in June 2020 on a separate case where he was charged with rape and theft and later sentenced to 15 years of direct imprisonment.
During the trial, he pleaded not guilty to the charges and said he was in a love relationship with all the victims, including the 14-year-old girl who was a virgin at the time of the incident.
However, Prosecutor Advocate Michael Shivuri was able to give evidence that proved that, indeed, Tshabalala committed the offences.
During sentencing proceedings, Tshabalala asked the court to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence and said the victims didn’t sustain any physical injuries during the offences.
Shivuri told the court the victims didn’t deserve to be treated and violated in the manner they were.
He asked the court to impose a life imprisonment sentence.
When handing down sentence, Judge Granova agreed with the state that Tshabalala showed no remorse for the offences and exploited the women's vulnerability due to their financial circumstances and age.
Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Sibongile Mzinyathi welcomed the sentence and applauded the work of the investigating officer, warrant officer Johannes Papi Magwaza, and the prosecutor.
For more news and entertainment in the palm of your hand, follow our WhatsApp Channel via this link
