Tebogo Msimanga |
The Mogwase Regional Court sentenced 47-year-old Oupa Herman Mabalane, to life imprisonment on two counts of rape. Mabalane raped a 27-year-old on 25 April 2022, at Ga-Phiri Village, near Mogwase. He was arrested the following day after the matter was reported to the police, his bail application was rejected, and he pleaded guilty to the charges.
North West NPA spokesperson Henry Mamothame said Mabalane was also found to have previous convictions, although not relevant to the crime he was convicted of. “Among the 13 convictions he had were, possession of ammunition, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and he was previously declared unfit to possess a firearm.
In aggravation of the sentence, the state prosecutor, Tebogo Mokoka addressed the court about the prevalence and seriousness of the offence and urged it not to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentence. Magistrate Herbert Modiba, agreed with the state and found no substantive and compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment.
