Vika Jeremiah Shabangu (34) was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape with an additional 35 years’ behind bars for another count of rape, two counts of robbery aggravating as well as for burglary residential. The sentence was handed down to Shabangu by the Standerton Regional Court yesterday, Thursday, 15 June 2023.

The suspect attacked an 18-year-old female who visited her aunt’s place where there was a family function. It was heard in court that in 2015, the victim who attended to a phone call, moved away from a noisy crowd and during that time, the accused emerged from nowhere then forcefully took the victim to a secluded area where he raped her.

The suspect enjoyed his freedom for a while and thought he could get away with his criminal activities, but few years later he was arrested for robbery aggravating and burglary case, and that was when police discovered that this was the rape suspect that they have been looking for and for him the chickens have come home to roost.

The accused was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment for rape, 15 years’ imprisonment for each robbery aggravating and five years’ imprisonment for burglary residential.

The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela indicated that the sentence should send a strong message to perpetrators of gender-based violence that even if they can run, they will be caught and face the full might of the law without fear or favour.

Source: South African Police Service