Serial Rapists Were Sentenced To Eight Life Terms And 195 Years Imprisonment

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes the sentence of Tshitso Mothesele (36), from Khutsong to 8 life terms and 195 years of direct imprisonment for rape, 8 counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances and kidnapping, handed down by the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, Pretoria.  The judge said that his name should be added to the national register for sexual offenders and is declared unfit to possess a firearm.

This is after he was convicted, for committing all those offences on 16 female victims, the youngest being 11-years-old, however, 6 of his victims were minors while the oldest was 35 years old.   Mothesele committed these offences between 2017 and 2018 in and around Carletonville, by using the same method.  He would target them when they got off public transport, drag them to a nearby veld, rape them and rob them of their belongings.  When one of the victims testified in court, she said the ordeal affected her marriage, as her husband even makes abusive remarks about the incident. One of the victims said she failed at school due to the incident, while the other became addicted to drugs because she used them to cope but later got rehabilitated. 

Mothesele was arrested on 15 December 2018, when a phone he stole from one of the victims was traced to a lady in Khutsong, which was sold to her by Mothesele. The accused was later linked to the offences by DNA, but Mothesele pleaded not guilty to the offences and attacked the credibility of the Forensic Science Laboratory in court, however, Prosecutor, Adv. Alicia Roos successfully proved that he was the donor of the DNA to the victims.  

A state witness, Lieutenant Colonel in the South African Police Service at the Investigative Psychology Section, told the court that Mothesele was a serial rapist, he showed no remorse, violence was used during the commission of the offences and he had no prospects of rehabilitating, therefore, he will remain a threat to society. Ross said Mothesele was a second offender, and the sentence that was imposed in 2013, did not deter him from committing more offences, and therefore she asked the court to impose the prescribed minimum sentence. 

Deputy Public Prosecutor, Advocate Mzinyathi said the country is faced with a pandemic of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF), therefore, these crimes will not be tolerated in our communities, and will be prosecuted. He further thanked the work of the investigating team of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and all stakeholders involved.

Issued by:

Lumka Mahanjana:

NPA Regional Spokesperson:

Gauteng Division: Pretoria

073 002 0000  lmahanjana@npa.gov.za