By REGINALD KANYANE
A 35-YEAR-OLD man from Molelema village in Taung, Matlhomola Mokwatsi was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment by Taung Regional Court for rape.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in the North West, Henry Mamothame said, on 4 March 2018, Mokwatsi met a woman (18) who was on her way to print a Curriculum Vitae (CV) at a friend’s house.
Mamothame said he then convinced a victim and offered to assist her at his place.
“Upon arrival, he then took her to his bedroom, threatened her with a spade, and strangled her before raping her twice. After this heinous act, the complaint requested water from Mokwatsi and managed to escape while he was attending to her request.
“The accused was arrested on 5 March 2018, but the trial was delayed by the withdrawal of the first attorney that represented the accused. A Legal Aid attorney was subsequently appointed to represent him,” he said.
Mamothame further said, part of the evidence the state produced in court, was the medical report that confirmed the injuries sustained by the complainant during her ordeal.
He added that the court dismissed his submission that he and the complainant were lovers and that the sex was consensual. Mamothame said the victim in her evidence, indicated that she grew up around the perpetrator and considered him to be her elder.
In aggravation of sentence, Adv Sandile Mbokazi urged the court to consider the scourge of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide that is on a rise, and not deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence.
However, Magistrate Buti Zulu sentenced Mokwatsi to 18 years imprisonment, but agreed with the state on the need to strengthen the advocacy on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.
The Acting Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari-Sekhaolelo lauded the state prosecutor and the police to put the perpetrator behind bars.
The Guardian 