JOHANNESBURG, March 29 ( ANA) – The three men who raped two women before killing their husbands by stripping them naked and forcing them into a lake where they drowned, should receive life sentences, the South Gauteng High Court heard on Wednesday.
“It is my submission that the only appropriate sentence in relation to this crime, is a life sentence,” prosecutor Monde Mbaqa said.
Mbaqa said the crime was not committed in a spur-of-the-moment citing, and that the men had ample time to plan it.
“They organised a firearm which later turned out to be a toy gun and were armed with a knife. The accused organised themselves in a large number to intimidate and overpower the victims.”
On October 17, 2015, a group of eight men including Mduduzi Lawrence Mathibela, 33, Edmore Ndlovu, 24, and Thabo Nkala, 26, accosted and robbed two couples while taking a stroll at Rhodes Park in Kensington.
They have been found guilty of robbery, two counts of rape and two counts of murder.
To strengthen his argument on aggravating circumstances, Mbaqa recalled the testimony given by trauma specialist professor Malose Langa who has been assessing the victims since the ordeal.
“My lord, the professor explained to this court that the victims have been in and out of hospital because of the trauma they suffered. Two years later they are still being hospitalised,” Mbaqa explained.
Mbaqa corroborated Langa’s testimony with one of the victims fainting episodes. Langa told the court that every time the woman spoke of about the incident she would faint.
“Remember my Lord when one of the ladies testified, after she was done she fainted on the stand.”
Mbaqa also hammered on the lack of remorse shown my the men.
“Remorse indicates that someone wants to be rehabilitated, but these men don’t want to be rehabilitated, they still deny that they are wrong even though accused number three [Mathibela] DNA was found on one of the victims,” he said.
He said Mathibela’s uncouth behaviour was also an insult to the law. Mathibela who has displayed more arrogance, was previously kicked out in court for disrupting proceedings.
On Monday, he looked irritated and left the dock when he was confronted by reporters taking pictures of the trio and sat down the stairs leading to the holding cells and said he will come up when the judge comes in.
Earlier, the court heard how the women tried to commit suicide and still harbour suicidal thoughts. One of them swallowed 30 tablets and the other one drank half of a bottle of bleach.
Langa said both women are not likely to recover from the trauma and they have been diagnosed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, they are also taking antidepressants. One of the ladies had to be prescribed a stronger dosage because she wasn’t coping and the medication is still not working.
Judge Papi Masopa said he will deliver the sentence on Friday.
– African News Agency (ANA)
