Pretoria - The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has welcomed the sentence handed to convicted murderer and serial rapist Bongani Charles Mnguni.
Mnguni had also been found guilty of 15 other counts, including kidnapping, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and robbery.
Judge Jody Kollapen sentenced Mnguni to three life terms plus 78 years. One life term will run concurrently with the 78 years and the two terms.
During the period between May and September 2013, the accused approached vulnerable and unsuspecting women in Daveyton and Tsakane with an offer to help them obtain employment.
He then lured them to secluded areas where he assaulted, robbed and raped them.
In one incident, the accused killed his victim by hitting her with a porcelain toilet bowl on her head. The accused’s version was that intercourse was consensual and that the women offered him sex to pay for the loan money he had given them.
The State, represented by Advocates Juliet Makgwatha and Bakedi Maoke, relied on circumstantial evidence and the accused’s DNA, which was found on the victims, to build a formidable case against the accused and secured a conviction.
Judge Kollapen said the crimes were committed in the most callous and brutal manner and that the accused is a danger to women and young girls.
In Limpopo, Lucas Lekoloane was convicted on two counts of rape by the regional court in Mankweng and sentenced to two life sentences on Monday.
The victim was 11 years old at the time of the incidents.
“Rape carries a minimum of life imprisonment when the victim is below the age of 16 years. In this case the victim was raped twice, hence 2 life sentences were imposed,” said NPA spokesperson Luvuyo Mfaku.
The accused was a family friend of the victim and occasionally visited them and was aware of all that was happening in the family.
He groomed the victim by giving her money, sweets and other favours. The victim did not report the rapes. The accused was arrested after the victim’s teachers noticed she had problems and alerted the police.
The NPA welcomed the sentence, saying it will deter those who prey on vulnerable children. – SAnews.gov.za
