A 29-year old Mpumalanga serial rapist was sentenced to 55 years imprisonment for three counts of rape and robbery with aggravating circumstances by the Ermelo Regional Court On Tuesday November 10.
Ntokozo Seewater Simelane of eBhubesini in Ermelo was found guilty for raping three women in the area between 2014 and 2015.
Mpumalanga NPA Spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said Simelane raped three women aged between 26 and 40 around Ermelo and was found guilty and convicted after he pleaded guilty to three counts of rape, two counts of robbery with intent to steal and theft and another two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances. She said Simelane’s method of operation was to break into his victims’ houses, threaten them with an unknown object and raped them.
He would sometimes rob them of their valuables such as cellphones and cash after raping them.
In 2015, a 40-year-old woman was at her home when Simelane broke into her house. He threatened her with an unknown object and she fainted. He then raped her.
“ When she regained consciousness, she was naked and noticed that her cellphone was taken. She reported the incident to her neighbour and was eventually taken to the doctor. DNA samples were taken in respect of this case and Simelane was positively linked to other crimes he had committed previously,” she said.
Praying for a heavy sentence that would deter would be rapists, prosecutor Chane Rothman handed in the victim impact statements and the medical reports.
She argued that Simelane pleaded guilty due to solid cases that linked him with the DNA.
Rothman pointed out the number of rape cases dealt with on a daily basis in courts and the impact on the society.
“Simelane was sentenced to 55 years imprisonment. The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, the effective sentence being 30 years imprisonment.,”she said.
