By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
24 April 2026- The accused, Lehlohonolo Monareng (32) from Soshanguve Township, near Pretoria. This comes after Monareng was convicted for raping a girl (17).
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in Gauteng, Lumka Mahanjana said during the day on 16 July 2023, Monareng had gone to the victim’s place of residence, where there was a traditional ceremony. Mahanjanasaid during the ceremony, the victim was responsible for serving traditional beer to the guests, who had come to attend the ceremony.
“Later that evening, at around 8pm, some guests left. The victim went to the toilet, while inside, Monareng forced the door open, blocked the door with the chair, closed her mouth, undressed her, and begin to rape her.
“The cousin of the victim saw what was happening through the window and alerted the elders who were still around, sitting by the fire. The elders forced the door open, but Monareng ran, leaving the victim lying on the floor,” she said.
Mahanjana further said, however, he was apprehended as he was running outside the gate. She added that the police were called and Monareng was arrested on the scene.
“He has been in custody since after the NPA successfully opposed his release on bail. In court, he pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied committing the offence. The state prosecutor, advocate Thamsanqa Given Thwala, presented compelling evidence of the complainant and proved the state’s case on the evidence of a single witness.
“During the sentencing proceeding, Monareng asked the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment because the accused was young during the commission of the offence and the complainant did not suffer any physical injuries except the inherent rape injuries,” she said.
Mahanjana said, however, in aggravation, Thwala argued that Monareng was convicted of a serious offence of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) that is not only prevalent in the courts’ jurisdiction but the country. She said despite the overwhelming evidence, Monareng did not show any remorse, which is a clear indication that he cannot be easily rehabilitated.
“Furthermore, the impact of the offence on the victim has a lifelong effect. Thwala also read into the record the Victim Impact Statement (VIS) facilitated by the Court Preparation Officer Maano Magondo, where the victim stated that the incident not only affected her emotionally, but she also dropped out of school because she could not concentrate and feared the stigma attached to rape as such, she resorted to drinking alcohol in hopes to forget about the incident.
“The NPA hopes that the sentence will serve as a deterrent to those who want to be sexual offenders,” she said.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Pieter Nel agreed with the state that Monareng did not show remorse and found that there were no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence, instead there were more aggravating factors, the suffered, irreparable emotional and phycological damage. Nel said, therefore, the sentence given was appropriate.
The Guardian 