By KEDIBONE MOALETSI
A 41-YEAR-OLD serial rapist was sentenced to three life imprisonment by the North West High Court in Mahikeng on Wednesday. Pontsho Mosinki was arrested after he raped an elderly woman (70) and other two women aged 19 and 20 in Ganyesa near Vryburg.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in North West, Henry Mamothame said: “Mosinki was charged on four counts of rape and four of housebreaking with intent to rape. The court sentenced him to three life terms on three counts of rape, ten years on another count of rape and five years on each count of housebreaking.”
Judge Andre Peterson ordered for the sentence to run concurrently.
Police reports revealed that Mosinki committed these offences between 2017 and 2018 before he was apprehended in June 2019. He was in police custody during the entire duration of the trial as his bail was denied.
According to Mamothame, the accused broke into the homes of the victims at night, while they were asleep. He said Mosinki threatened to kill them if they did not abide by his instructions.
“The 70-year-old disabled woman was raped twice in 2017 and 2018 respectively. She sadly passed away in 2021, after having testified in court in 2020. The Judge who was presiding on the case also passed on in the same year and the matter had to be restarted again.
“Following the appointment of Judge Peterson, the deceased statements on the two rape charges were admitted as evidence in court. The trial was further delayed by Mosinki firing his Legal Aid Attorney and he was subsequently allocated a new one who had to be granted time for consultation,” he said.
Mosinki also repeatedly raped women aged 19 and 20 respectively. He said in all these cases, he was linked through DNA specimens in the commissioning of these offences.
In aggravation of sentence, Adv Florence Rasakanya urged the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence and argued that the accused be sentenced to life imprisonment. She further argued that the accused was a remorseless individual who was not even a candidate for rehabilitation.
Judge Andre Petersen agreed with the state and described Mosinki as a sexual predator that attacked and raped innocent women for no reason. The Acting Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari- Sekhaolelo lauded the SAPS and Advocate Rasakanya on a successful conviction.
The Guardian 