SERIAL RAPIST SENTENCED TO SEVEN LIFE TERMS

SERIAL RAPIST SENTENCED TO SEVEN LIFE TERMS

ERIC MATOME KGOMO
TONGA: A 36-year-old serial rapist has been sentenced to seven life terms at the Division of the High Court which was sitting in Mbombela, on Thursday 25 March 2021. Bongani Mthandazo Msimango, was sentenced for raping seven women in the Nkomazi area between 2013 and 2018. Brigadier Leonard Hlathi, Mpumalanga Provincial Police Spokesperson, said the court heard how Msimango made the lives of defenseless women difficult by terrorizing them thinking that he will get away with it. “The accused shamelessly preyed on a 78-year-old pensioner on 2 August 2013, where he viciously assaulted her, tied her hands and robbed her of her personal belongings before brutally raping her. Again in Tonga, on 22 November 2013, he took advantage of an 83-year-old elderly woman where he reportedly raped her,” said Hlathi. He added Msimango is said to have continued committing these heinous acts where on 13 December 2014, he assaulted and raped a third elderly woman, aged 70, before robbing her of her personal items including cash. “Msimango’s violent acts against women did not stop but continued where on 20 January 2015, he viciously assaulted a 35 year old woman, robbed her of her personal belongings and raped her as well. On 28 September 2015, Msimango continued his reign of terror by attacking and raping a 66-year-old woman and further robbed her of her personal items as well,” Hlathi explained. Hlathi said amongst the victims, that Msimango traumatized, is a young girl who was 15-years-old at the time, who was raped at Mangweni near Tonga on 17 December 2015, who was said to be threatened with a knife and assaulted before the ordeal. “Another woman suffered a violent attack by Msimango as he repeatedly raped her in Tonga on Christmas day in 2018. All these matters were brought to the attention of the police where rape cases were registered and the suspect sought,” detailed Hlathi.
He said the accused was arrested on 5 December 2019 in Tonga following tirelessly work by a dedicated team of investigators. “All his bail attempts were unsuccessful until his trial and sentencing,” informed Hlathi. Hlathi said on the two counts of assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm, Msimango was sentenced to three years imprisonment for each count. On the two counts of robbery, he was sentenced to three years imprisonment for each count and on the seven counts of rape, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for each count. “The accused was also declared unfit to possess a firearm and his particulars will be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders. He was also found to be unfit to work with children and his particulars will be entered in the National Child Protection Register. The Acting Judge of the High Court, Jansen van Rensburg, has ordered that all sentences to run concurrently with the life sentences,” he said. The Provincial Commissioner of SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma, is delighted over a hefty sentence. Zuma has further thanked members of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offenses Unit (FCS) for their hard work and relentless efforts in preventing the accused from preying on more victims. “ The seven life sentences handed down to Msimango will definitely help victims to find closure and heal from the trauma that they went through as a result of this man’s heartless deeds, “ said Zuma.

The Division of the High Court in Mbombela sentenced Bongani Mthandazo Msimango (36) to seven life terms for rape
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