Rapist dies before being sentenced at Ga-Rankuwa Court

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Photo: NPA

A 35 years old man who had been terrorizing Mabopane community in Tshwane for almost six years has met his ultimate judgement after collapsing to his death in a holding cell in court while awaiting to be sentenced.

NPA spokesperson in the North West Henry Mamothame said that Johannes Jojo Shabangu was appearing in Ga-Rankuwa Regional Court facing 14 rape charges and 11 counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances.

Court papers sat he in the holding cells while the court was in recess when he started filling before collapsing. He had already pleaded guilty at the time and asked for forgiveness from his victims.

The court was due to find him guilty on all charges.

“The case was set for Victim Impact Statements to be read in court before sentencing could be imposed, but it was rolled over to Thursday, 03 August 2023 for him to receive medical attention. It emerged in court that Shabangu was declared dead by the paramedics and a declaration certificate was presented to Judge Peterson.”

“He then declared proceedings as finalised and he ordered for the death certificate to be filed with the registrar of the High Court of South; North West Division. He further ordered for an inquest docket to be registered, to determine the cause of death.”

The court heard that Shabangu had been targeting and attacking people in Winterveldt, in the Odi district, between July 2012 and December 2019, wherein he together with unknown accomplices, raped and robbed multiple women of their properties.

It was also said that in some instances he, together with the accomplice, would target couples on their way home from taverns, threaten them with a gun before beating up the boyfriends, rape them women and rob them of their belongings.

“In other instances, they would accost a group of women and rob them before picking on one of them to rape. The youngest of their victim was 14 years of age and her ordeal took place in June 2015. In his guilty plea statement, which was read by his attorney, he took responsibility for all the charges he was facing and asked for forgiveness to his victims.”