THE Atamelang Magistrates Court in North West has sentenced Lucky Tshepang Mothowatlhaga (25) to life imprisonment for raping a 19-year-old girl.
The court declared him unfit to possess a firearm and his name was ordered to be registered in the National Register for Sexual Offenders.
Mothowatlhaga’s conviction on Tuesday, 14 November emanates from an incident that occurred on the night of 6 December 2020, at Ottosdal, where the victim and two of her cousins arrived at their home from a tavern.
"The accused subsequently accosted her while she was knocking on the door, while her two cousins were also knocking on the opposite door of the house. He then dragged her to his residence, after which the two cousins rushed to the neighbour’s house to call for help.
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"By the time they came back to assist, the two had already disappeared. Upon arrival at his residence, the accused threatened the complainant with a knife before repeatedly raping her. He afterwards let her leave the following morning," the National Prosecution Authority spokesman Henry Mamorhame said.
The matter was reported to the police and the accused was arrested and granted bail.
He, however, failed to appear before court and was rearrested and his bail revoked.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge. In the aggravation of sentence, the state prosecutor, Advocate Edward Manicus, urged the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence as there were no compelling circumstances to do so.
And the Magistrate Stefanus Du Toit agreed with the state and stressed the seriousness and prevalence of the offence, as well as the traumatic experience suffered by the victim.
The Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari, lauded the prosecutor, Detective Mmolawa from the South African Police Service and other role players for the collaboration that yielded a successful conviction.
