A 36-YEAR-OLD man was sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday, 20 September for raping his ex-girlfriend in July 2021.
In addition to the sentence, the Christiana Regional Court in the North West ordered that Lesego Andrew Maribe's name be registered on the sexual offender's register.
The court heard that on 2 July 2021, Maribe went to his ex-girlfriend’s house in Christiana and demanded to be let in while kicking the door.
Upon hearing his voice, the complainant refused to open and rushed to the back of the house to run away from danger. But Maribe managed to get hold of her and started assaulting her while dragging her to his place.
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When they arrived at his place, he repeatedly raped her and only let her leave the following day. She subsequently went to her aunt to report the matter, which was later reported to the police.
Maribe was arrested and denied bail. It was discovered that he had previous convictions of rape and attempted rape, for which he served jail time.
In aggravation of sentence, state prosecutor Qcinimuzi Radebe urged the court not to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentence of life imprisonment as records showed that the accused had been convicted for a similar offence, and was removed from society.
Magistrate Lincoln Matjele agreed with the state and remarked that rape is an offence that degrades the dignity of the victim. He further alluded to the responsibility bestowed on the courts to send a strong message to offenders of such heinous crimes.
North West Director of Public Prosecutions Dr Rachel Makhari lauded the prosecutor, investigating officer and other role players for a collaboration that secured a conviction. She called on communities to help tackle the abuse of women, children and the elderly.
