We welcome the hefty sentences handed down to the serial rapist who terrorised women in Tshwane for five years.
In today's edition, we are reporting on Sello Abram Mapunya who was sentenced to 1,088 years' imprisonment for 55 counts of rape, house break-ins, assault and robbery with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The crimes were committed in Olievenhoutbosch, Mamelodi, Atteridgeville and Silverton from 2014 until March 2019 when he was apprehended.
The 1,088 is a combination of several jail terms imposed by the North Gauteng High Court for a whopping 101 charges Mapunya was convicted of. Judge Papi Mosopa ruled that the sentences must not run concurrently.
“I am not going to order concurrent sentences because they did not take place at the same time.”
Mapunya's modus operandi was to break into the homes of the women between 1am and 4am, flash a light from his torch in their faces so that they could not see him properly and order them to cover their faces with blankets before violating them. This resulted in the women and girls not being able to point out Mapunya and he was only linked to the cases through DNA and fingerprints.
He had no mercy when he went on the raping and robbing spree. For that he deserves each and every year he will spend behind bars. The harsh sentence he received will serve as a lesson to others, who will know what happens when one is caught by the long arm of the law.
We applaud the police officers who worked on this case for their tireless efforts in following up on leads for five years until the rapist was caught. They deserve all the glory for removing this dangerous man from our communities, and for the long hours spent piecing together all the evidence. The work done on this is impressive.
His victims and women in the areas that he targeted for year can go to bed feeling safe, knowing that Mapunya is in jail for good, due to the good work of the justice system. Indeed justice has been served.
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