By REGINALD KANYANE
4 February 2025- A man (42) was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for rape. The convict, Molaodi Michael Manone was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by the Barkley West Regional Court for raping a woman (19) on 14 July 2019. The security officer who was on duty at the Professor ZK Mathews Hospital in Barkley West, caught two patients engaging in sexual acts in one of the hospital toilets and reported them to the nursing staff.
The Northern Cape police spokesperson, Sergeant Timothy Sam said it was then established that the Manone, who was admitted in the hospital for a stab wound took advantage of a patient with a mental disability and raped her. Sam said due to the victim’s mental and psychological state, the case had to be postponed several times to assess her mental state of being able to give testimony in the trial.
“After several consultations, the victim could ultimately testify and the court found the accused guilty and sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment for rape and instructed that his name be recorded in the National Register for Sex Offenders and declared him unfit to possess a firearm,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Northern Cape Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola, commended the investigating officer, Detective Warrant Officer Tanya Serfontein in collaboration with the Mental Health institution for the thorough investigative work of ensuring that justice is served for the victim.
The Guardian 