A serial rapist from Khutsong near Carletonville was sentenced to eight life terms plus an additional 195 years behind bars. He was nabbed after the phone he had taken from one of his victims and sold to another person was traced back to him,
Tshitso Mothesele, aged 36, was sentenced in the high court in Pretoria on Friday, 8 April 2022. He was found guilty of 15 counts of rape and eight counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances and kidnapping.
Mothesele had raped females between 2017 and 2018 in and around Carletonville. The National Prosecuting Authority said Mothesele’s modus operandi was always the same: he would target his victims when they got off public transport, drag them into a veld, rape them and rob them of their belongings.
Six of his victims were minors — the youngest being 11.
‘Mothesele was arrested on December 15 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,’ said NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana.
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 victim said she failed at school due to the incident, while another became addicted to drugs because she used them to cope, but later got rehabilitated.”
An investigative psychologist had told the court that there was no chance of rehabilitation for Mothesele, adding he had shown no remorse for his crimes and had used violence during the attacks. She said Mothesele was a threat to society.
It was also revealed in court that Mothesele was not a first-time offender, having being sentenced for another crime in 2013.
His name was added to the sexual offenders registry and he was declared unfit to possess a firearm.