Picture: The serial rapist, Johannes Jojo Shabangu/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
A man who pleaded guilty to 14 charges of rape and 11 of robbery with aggravating circumstances collapsed and died, while in police holding cells at Ga-Rankuwa Regional Court. Johannes Jojo Shabangu (35) was standing trial at the North West High Court of South Africa sitting at the Ga-Rankuwa Regional Court.
The National Prosecuting Agency (NPA) regional spokesperson in North West, Henry Mamothame said the atrocity took place while the court was in recess. Mamothame further said this was subsequent to Judge Andre Peterson receiving his guilty plea statement and found him guilty on all charges, in accordance to the guilty plea.
“The case was set for Victim Impact Statements to be read in court before sentencing could be imposed, but it was rolled over to 3 August 2023 for him to receive medical attention. It emerged in court that Shabangu was declared dead by the paramedics and a declaration certificate was presented to Judge Peterson.
“He then declared proceedings as finalised and he ordered for the death certificate to be filed with the registrar of the North West High Court. Peterson ordered for an inquest docket to be registered to determine the cause of death,” he said.
Mamothame added that, Shabangu’s court appearance emanates from incidents that took place in Winterveldt, in the Odi District, between July 2012 and December 2019, wherein he together with unknown accomplices, raped and robbed multiple women of their properties.
He said the evidence contained in the indictment, indicates that in some instances, Shabangu together with his accomplices, would confront couples coming from places of leisure in the evenings, threaten them with a firearm, beat up the boyfriends, rob them of their belongings and subsequently take turns to rape the female victims.
“In some instances, it emerged that they would break into homes and apply the same modus operandi. In other instances, they would accost a group of women and rob them before picking on one of them to rape. The youngest of their victims was 14 years of age and her ordeal took place in June 2015.
“In his guilty plea statement which was read by his attorney, he took responsibility for all the charges he was facing and asked for forgiveness to his victims,” said Mamothame.
Meanwhile, the Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari, together with the North West Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, lauded Adv Nangomso Goloda and Sergeant Molwantoa Rapakgadi for their collaboration in ensuring a successful conviction amid the unfortunate passing of the accused before sentencing.
The Guardian 