Moses Monnapula (45) was given three years behind bars for each of two counts of kidnapping, and three life sentences for three counts of rape by the Northern Cape High Court on Tuesday, 14 August.
The sentences will run concurrently.
His crimes e was found guilty of kidnapping two minorgirls and raping three minor girls in Galeshewe This subsequent to being found guilty of two counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape to minor girls in. Thedate back to June 2015 when he kidnapped two girls, aged six and eight, and took them to his shack in Madiba Square in Galeshewe.
He kept them overnight and raped them.
The girls went missing on 27 June at approximately 18:00, after which community members launched a search for them. They were rescued the following day after information led community members to Monnapula’s shack were kept them overnight.
Before passing the sentence on Tuesday, at the Northern Cape High Court Acting Judge Vernon Smith said Monnapula failed to show remorse and take responsibility for his criminal actions.
“He was determined to rape the girls. This was an impulsive crime which Monnapula committed against the girls.
“While he was supposed to protect them, he invaded their privacy, took away their dignity and disgraced them,” Smith said.
It was further discovered that The court heard that Monnapula has a series of previous convictions, including housebreaking, theft, rape, robbery, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and the possession of drugs. He served sentences for these crimes.
Smith declared Monnapula unfit to possess a firearm, and ordered that he be listed in the National Register for Sex Offenders.
The Northern Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lt Gen. Risimati Shivuri, lauded Smith’s harsh sentence.
“Hefty sentences will serve as deterrent to criminals,” he said.
He also applauded the investigating officer, WO Willie du Plessis of the Galeshewe Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, for his investigative work which assisted the National Prosecuting Authority and the Department of Justice to ensure that criminals such as Monnapula see no light of the day.