A Northern Cape man who lured young girls into watching pornographic content before raping them has been sentenced to three life terms.
A NORTHERN Cape man who lured young girls into watching pornographic content before raping them at Seven Miles Village in Kuruman has been sentenced to three life terms.
The Mothibistad Regional Court heard that he would pay them between R7 and R25 to keep quiet.
The court found 59-year-old Itumeleng Prichard Masilabele guilty of three counts of rape.
During the trial, the court heard that Masilabele, who was a resident of Seven Miles Village in Kuruman, used to invite young girls from the village to watch television at his house.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said Masilabele’s modus operandi was that, at some point, he would chase away any other girls present, except the victims. He would then proceed to lock his house and play pornographic DVDs on his television to watch with the victim.
“It is alleged that after watching the pornography, the accused would proceed to rape the victim and thereafter give them money, ranging from R7 to R25,” Senokoatsane said.
“Before allowing the victim to leave, the accused would threaten her with violence or death if they were to tell anyone about the rape.
“Due to the severity of the rapes, one victim was admitted to the hospital due to severe damage to her vaginal area, which required immediate medical intervention.”
Senokoatsane said that during the trial, Masilabele admitted to having a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl in the village.
In aggravation, Regional Court Prosecutor Bernice Bronkhorst argued before the court that Masilabele had a modus operandi, as both complainants were lured to the accused’s house, where he would proceed to show them pornographic material, rape them, pay them an amount of money and then threaten them with violence if they were to tell anyone about the rape.
“The State further argued that by the accused’s own admission, he has a sexual preference for young girls. Further, that his modus operandi was indicative of him being a serial rapist and that the rehabilitation prospects of a serial rapist are slim,” Senokoatsane said.
“The State further argued that it was the accused who used his standing, as an elderly person in the community, to lure the victims into a false sense of trust and then he would take advantage of them.”
During sentencing, the magistrate stated that Masilabele’s behaviour merits him being called a paedophile, that the damage that he has caused to the young girls of Seven Miles Village is immeasurable, and that these young girls will carry the emotional scars caused by the accused for the rest of their lives.
“The accused, after a lengthy judgment, was found guilty as charged on all counts. The accused was ultimately sentenced to three terms of life imprisonment, all to run concurrently,” Senokoatsane said.
“The accused was furthermore declared unfit to possess a firearm, his name was ordered to be added to the National Register of Sex Offenders, and he was declared unsuitable to work with children.”
