Man Who Raped 41 Women Bags 1,088 Years Jail Term

A South African man has bagged a thousand and eighty-eight years imprisonment for allegedly raping and robbing about fifty-six women in a community.

Naija News understands that the accused, Sello Abram Mapunya, 33, was convicted on Wednesday, May 26 over alleged series of housebreaking and violation of women in the Pretoria suburbs in the last five years.

Mapunya was said to have been found guilty of repeated house robberies with the intent of sexually violating the female victims. It was gathered that the culprit committed the crimes while he lived with his girlfriend, eight-year-old son and four-year-old daughter in Pretoria.

He is said to have assaulted many women in Tshwane’s suburbs of Nellmapius, Mamelodi, Silverton, Olievenhoutbosch and Atteridgeville.

His youngest victim, Naija News learnt was 14 years of age. She was attacked while walking home with a friend in Olievenhoutbosch. His eldest victim was 55.

Mapunya who was initially charged with 101 different crimes began his crime spree in 2014 and it ended in March 2019 after he was arrested by detectives from the serial electronic crimes investigation unit.

In his ruling, Judge Papi Mosopa sentenced the convict to 1,088 years in prison after he was found guilty of 41 rapes, 40 counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances and 40 counts of housebreaking.

Mosopa said none of the sentences would run concurrently. He sentenced Mapunya to life terms for raping his teenage victim and three other women who he raped multiple times.

Condemning “evil” to an eternity behind bars, Mosopa said Mapunya was “hell-bent” on infringing on society’s most vulnerable and their right to dignity and security. “He failed to show any remorse,” said Mosopa.

His youngest victim, Refilwe Selamolela who is now 19 and agreed to be identified, said she had spent years asking herself why men raped and hurt women.

Selamolela said; “I want to ask men out there to stop hurting us and ask them to protect us, love us and provide for us and our children. For so many years I have suffered, crying every time I hear of another woman who has been raped.

“Today, I just thank God and the justice system for bringing this man down, for sending him away to jail for the rest of his life.”

Thuleleni Mtsweni, who was beaten over the head with a hammer and raped by Mapunya in her Nellmapius home, said some victims had almost lost their lives.

Mtsweni said; “It was the worst experience of my life, but that is now over. Today is a victory, not just for those of us who survived the terror this man unleashed, but for all women out there who are victims of similar crimes.

“We, as survivors, fought for our voices to be heard. We fought for the voices of all women to be heard. We stood here in court and have now watched the man who tortured us go down. He went down because of our bravery to speak out.”