Life in jail for young rapist
A young Free State man who raped and attempted to murder a Makhanda teenager last December was sentenced on Monday to life imprisonment.
Mojalefa Rampai, 22, pleaded guilty in March to the horror incident, which started off with him offering his services to safely escort the 17-year-old to a local tavern after attending a braai at her home.
Instead, he dragged her into the bushes and forced her to perform fellatio on him before raping her.
As she struggled to get back on her feet in the dusty, dark street, he struck her three times on the head with a sharp panga, splitting apart her face from her eye to her ear, causing multiple fractures of her facial bones and cutting open her head.
As SA observes Women’s Month this August, acting judge Miki Mfenayana spoke quietly of the harsh realities of skyrocketing sexual violence against women and children.
The courts faced a difficult balancing act in terms of which they had to weigh up the interests of society, the seriousness of the offence and the personal circumstances of an accused who had himself been a very young man when he committed the terrible offences, the judge said.
In this case, Mfenyana said, she had no choice but to impose life imprisonment on Rampai for the rape and a 15-year sentence for the attempted murder as she could find no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from these minimum mandatory sentences.
It was by sheer luck that the seriously injured young woman escaped Rampai and sought help from passersby, she said.
Rape was a repulsive, humiliating, brutal and degrading crime that violated women and struck at the core their dignity.
“The complainant was raped by the accused in circumstances where she thought she was safe in his company.
“He was supposed to be a friend and a safe escort and instead attacked her in the most brutal way possible.
“She now bears physical, emotional and psychological scars which are likely to be lifelong.”
Mfenyana said the scourge of rape had “infiltrated the very fibre of our society”.
“The rape statistics induce a sense of shock and disbelief.
“The courts have to send a clear message to perpetrators and would-be perpetrators that disregarding the rights of others in this manner is unacceptable,” she said.
She ordered that the sentences run concurrently.
Rampai seemed shocked by the life sentence.
The pulse in his neck was beating so wildly the pull on his zipper bounced violently up and down against his throat.
Senior state advocate Nickie Turner prosecuted Rampai and Legal Aid SA attorney Henry Charles defended Rampai.
Investigating officer D/WO Luthando Mty hobile welcomed the tough sentence, which he hoped would send a clear message to gender-based violence offenders.