Africa-Press – South-Africa. A 34-year-old Mpumalanga man who raped a teenager in 2015 then evaded the law has been sentenced to life imprisonment for rape. He was traced to police cells after he was arrested for robbery.
Vika Jeremiah Shabangu was sentenced in the Standerton Regional Court on Thursday.
Police spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli said Shabangu attacked an 18-year-old woman who had gone to her aunt to attend 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,” said Mdhluli.
Mdhluli said the rape was reported, but Shabangu could not be found.
“The suspect enjoyed his freedom for a while and thought he could get away with his criminal activities, but a few years later, he was arrested for robbery…, and that was when police discovered that this was the rape suspect that they have been looking for… The chickens have come home to roost,” said Mdhluli.
Mpumalanga police commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney, said this sentence should send a strong message to perpetrators of gender-based violence that they can run, but they will be caught and face the full might of the law.
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