A Bloemfontein girl (14) who was gang raped by three men in 2017 has been served justice, although she did not live to see justice rendered.
The Bloemfontein Sexual Offences Court on 21 June sentenced Lerato Mahumapelo (25) and Tlogelo Mooki (23) to life in prison, while the third culprit, Gomolemo Kganare, is on the run after breaching court order and his bail conditions by failing to pitch for trial.
Phaladi Shuping, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), said the state was on track to bring him to book following the dismissal of an application to discharge all the accused. The defence brought the application in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act after the victim committed suicide in 2020, months after she testified.
“The complainant committed suicide while the matter was on trial,” said Shuping.
The state proceeded with the trial, culminating in the conviction and sentencing by Magistrate Jan Greyvensteyn. He has ordered that Mooki and Mahumapelo’s names be included on the National Register for Sex Offenders.
State prosecutor, Advocate Ronell Botha, requested a harsh sentence.
“The complainant stated in the victim impact statement that she was being victimised at school, as it was known that she had been raped,” Botha said.
“This could be the reason she took her own life. What is sad is that a family has lost a child because she was struggling to accept what had happened to her.”
