Latest news with #Mahanjana
The Citizen
19 hours ago
- The Citizen
Pretoria prosecutor and constable in the docks for extorting R1.6m
Pretoria prosecutor and constable in the docks for extorting R1.6m A suspended prosecutor and a Wierdabrug police constable who allegedly demanded payment of R1.6-million in exchange for a businessman's release were granted bail on July 30 by the Pretoria Magistrate's Court. The court granted bail to the pair after they were charged with extortion. Advocate Avinash Ramapararat (45), the suspended prosecutor based at the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Unit (SCCU), and Constable Abdul Haig Shaik (37), a police officer stationed at Wierdabrug Police Station, were each granted R5 000 bail. According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Gauteng spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, in February 2024, Shaik allegedly contacted the businessman and requested that he report to the Wierdabrug Police Station regarding a fraud and theft case opened by Agynt Commodities. Mahanjana said the case was related to a coal transaction between Agynt and the businessman's company in 2023. Upon arrival, the businessman was arrested by Shaik and placed in a holding cell. While in custody, the two accused allegedly demanded payment of R1.6-million in exchange for the businessman's release. She said the businessman paid the money and was later released. Mahanjana said that after a few months had passed, the businessman made a follow-up on the case, and was told the case number given to him was unrelated to his matter. 'He then reported the incident to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, which led to the arrest of both accused on July 25.' Mahanjana said: 'During their bail application, the State did not oppose bail, as both accused had co-operated with the investigation, were not deemed flight risks, and had confirmed residential addresses. 'In addition to the current matter, the pair also face separate charges of extortion and corruption in a case before the Pretoria North Magistrate's Court.' Mahanjana said the court postponed the matter to October 24 for the Director of Public Prosecutions' decision, while the separate matter will return to court on October 27 for disclosure. She said the NPA is committed to fighting crime, including within its ranks. She said Ramapararat was placed on suspension pending finalisation of internal disciplinary processes. LISTEN: Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.
The Citizen
20 hours ago
- The Citizen
Man gets life sentence for raping minor with down syndrome
Masoka pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied the rape allegations. A 32-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old girl with Down syndrome in Pretoria. The Pretoria Magistrate's Court handed down the sentence on Wednesday to Thabo Xolani Masoka. The National Prosecuting Authority welcomed the ruling as a victory for vulnerable children with special needs who are often targeted due to their dependence and trust. Victim found in convict's home The incident occurred on 18 September 2022, when the young victim was with her mother at the mother's salon on their residential premises. According to Lumka Mahanjana, NPA Regional spokesperson for the Gauteng Division in Pretoria, the mother began locking up at approximately 7:45pm. 'The victim started walking home, but minutes later, the mother arrived at their flat and realised the child was missing,' Mahanjana said. The mother launched a search with help from other residents. A witness reported seeing the victim walking with Masoka toward his flat. When the mother and residents confronted Masoka at his apartment, they found the child sitting inside. ALSO READ: Likely to destroy evidence: Accused's bail bid rejected in Ditebogo Phalane murder case 'When questioned, he said he does not know why she was there,' Mahanjana stated. Police were called immediately and arrested Masoka on the scene that same day. The state successfully opposed his bail application, keeping him in custody throughout the legal proceedings. Convicted rapist pleads not guilty to child rape Masoka pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied the rape allegations. 'In court, Masoka pleaded not guilty, denying the rape and claiming the minor was his girlfriend, they had consensual sex and thought the victim was 17 years old,' said Mahanjana. ALSO READ: Limpopo groom sentenced to life for raping 9-year-old girl on his wedding day However, Prosecutor Andries Ntjana presented compelling medical evidence that demolished this defence. Evidence from a medical doctor and a psychiatrist proved the child lacked the mental capacity to consent to sexual activity. Sentencing During the sentencing phase, Masoka requested leniency from the court. He cited his responsibility for supporting three children and a wife as grounds for a reduced sentence. Ntjana opposed any reduction in sentencing. The prosecutor argued that Masoka showed no remorse. 'Furthermore, Ntjana said Masoka lacked remorse; he continued to maintain his innocence even after conviction,' according to Mahanjana. 'Furthermore, Ntjana said Masoka betrayed the mother's trust since he was a neighbour meant to protect the child,' according to Mahanjana. Magistrate Lynn Pillay rejected the defence's plea for leniency. She found no substantial or compelling circumstances that would justify deviating from the prescribed minimum sentence. The court deemed life imprisonment appropriate for the crime. NPA response The NPA praised the court's decision as a strong message against crimes targeting vulnerable individuals. 'The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the life imprisonment sentence handed down by the Pretoria Magistrate's Court for the heinous rape of an 11-year-old girl with Down Syndrome,' Mahanjana said. She emphasised that the ruling demonstrates the NPA's commitment to protecting society's most vulnerable members. Mahanjana said the case particularly highlights the need to protect children with special needs who face increased risk due to their dependence on others. 'The court's decision to impose the prescribed minimum sentence, despite the accused's pleas for leniency, underscores our resolute stance that no one is above the law, especially when it comes to gender-based violence (GBV) against defenceless victims,' Mahanjana said. READ NEXT: Khayelitsha court hears disturbing details of seven-year-old's rape and murder
The Citizen
21 hours ago
- The Citizen
Mamelodi father gets life for raping daughter, brainwashing her it was ‘normal'
Mamelodi father gets life for raping daughter, brainwashing her it was 'normal' A Pretoria father has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the local magistrate's court for the repeated rape of his daughter over a 10-year period, beginning when she was just nine years old. Pretoria Rekord reports that National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana says the 64-year-old father from Mamelodi appeared in court recently. 'The abuse began when the victim was nine years old in 2010 and continued until she was 19 in 2020, occurring during weekend and school holidays when the victim would visit her father. The mother of the victim and the father were not married; they only shared the child. Before the abuse started, the father told the victim that the abuse was normal in households and warned her not to tell her mother because she had a heart condition.' Warning: The following article contains information that may upset sensitive readers Mahanjana says when the victim was 16 years old in 2018, the condom broke while she was being raped by her father. 'When the father realised that the condom was broken, he told her to track her menstrual cycle and if she misses it, she should inform him.' When the daughter missed her periods and was pregnant, he gave her R1 500 to terminate the pregnancy. The rapes persisted despite this. She explains the abuse came to light in 2021 when the victim started dating and confided in her boyfriend that her father was the only person she had been intimate with, believing it was normal. 'The boyfriend informed the mother, who confronted the daughter. After realising what had been happening was wrong the daughter opened the case at the Mamelodi East Police Station on January 16, 2021 and the father was arrested on the same day.' Mahanjana says the father pleaded not guilty, denying the charges. 'However, regional court prosecutor Anton Burger presented compelling evidence, proving his guilt. During sentencing, the father requested leniency, citing his role as a breadwinner for his wife, three other children, and two granddaughters.' Burger opposed this, arguing the lack of remorse, the prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV), and the father's betrayal of his duty to protect his daughter. Furthermore, Burger said the father instructed his own daughter to terminate a pregnancy after realising that he was going to father his daughter's child. 'What was more shocking was that the father planned the sexual abuse because he prepared the victim for it before it even started and made her believe it was a normal thing. In the victim impact statement, facilitated by the court preparation officer, Kgomotso Lodi, the victim said she cannot recall life without rape, she lost her teenage years, and she now suffers from depression and low self-esteem.' When handing down the sentence, acting regional court Magistrate Pierre Wessels said violence against women and children is a pandemic in this country and it was the duty of the courts to combat such offences. The magistrate agreed with the state that the man showed no remorse for the offences, and as such he found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the sentence of life imprisonment. The court declared the unfit to work with children or possess a firearm, ordered his name added to the National Register for Sexual Offenders, and directed that his two granddaughters be referred to the children's court for investigation and inquiry. 'The NPA welcomes this sentence, reaffirms its dedication to eradicating GBV, a pervasive crisis in South Africa, by supporting survivors and ensuring perpetrators face severe consequences. 'This case exemplifies our victim-centred approach and our resolve to foster safe environments where children's rights to dignity and safety are upheld. Together with our justice partners, we call on communities to stand united against GBV, reporting abuse to break the silence and protect the future.' Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on
IOL News
a day ago
- IOL News
Mamelodi Horror: Father raped daughter for a decade, forced her to terminate pregnancy
The abuse began when the daughter was nine years old in 2010, and continued until she was 19 in 2020. Image: File The Pretoria Magistrates' Court has sentenced a 64-year-old father from Mamelodi to life imprisonment for the repeated rape of his daughter, which lasted for almost a decade since 2010. The court declared the 64-year-old unfit to work with children or possess a firearm, ordered his name added to the National Register for Sexual Offenders, and directed that his two granddaughters be referred to the children's court for investigation and inquiry. 'The abuse began when the victim was nine years old in 2010, and continued until she was 19 in 2020, occurring during weekends and school holidays when the victim would visit her father,' said Lumka Mahanjana, Gauteng regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). 'The mother of the victim and the father were not married; they only shared the child.' Before the abuse started, the father told his daughter that the abuse was normal in households, and warned her not to tell her mother because she had a heart condition. 'In 2018, when the victim was 16 years old, while being raped by her father, the condom broke. When the father realised that the condom was broken, he told her to track her menstrual cycle and if she missed it, she should inform him. When she missed her period and was pregnant, he gave her R1,500 to terminate the pregnancy,' said Mahanjana. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The rape incidents persisted even after this incident. The abuse came to light in 2021 when the victim started dating, and she confided in her boyfriend that her father was the only person she had been intimate with. According to the NPA, she believed the rape was normal. 'The boyfriend informed the mother, who confronted the victim. After realising what had been happening was wrong, the victim opened the case at the Mamelodi East police station on 16 January 2021. The father was arrested on the same day,' said Mahanjana. In court, the father pleaded not guilty, denying the charges. However, regional court prosecutor Anton Burger presented compelling evidence, proving the father's guilt. During sentencing, the father requested leniency, citing his role as a breadwinner for his wife, three other children, and two granddaughters. Burger opposed the father's pleas, arguing the lack of remorse, the prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV), and the father's betrayal of his duty to protect his daughter. Furthermore, Burger said the father instructed his own daughter to terminate a pregnancy after realising that he was going to father her daughter's child. 'What was more shocking was that the father planned the sexual abuse because he prepared the victim for it, before it even started, and made her believe it was a normal thing,' Burger told the court. In the Victim Impact Statement (VIS), facilitated by the court preparation officer, Kgomotso Lodi, the victim said she cannot recall life without rape, she lost her teenage years, and she now suffers from depression and low self-esteem. In handing down the sentence, the acting regional court magistrate Pierre Wessels said violence against women and children is a pandemic in South Africa, and it was the duty of the courts to combat such offences. Furthermore, the magistrate agreed with the state that the man showed no remorse for the offences. The court subsequently found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the sentence of life imprisonment. Meanwhile, the NPA has welcomed the heavy sentence, reaffirming its dedication to eradicating gender-based violence, a pervasive crisis in South Africa, by supporting survivors and ensuring perpetrators face severe consequences. 'This case exemplifies our victim-centred approach and our resolve to foster safe environments where children's rights to dignity and safety are upheld,' said Mahanjana. Last year, IOL reported that police at Dennilton, in Limpopo, arrested a 39-year-old man for allegedly raping his 15-year-old daughter repeatedly at Moteti village in the Sekhukhune District. Image: File 'Together with our justice partners, we call on communities to stand united against gender-based violence, reporting abuse to break the silence and protect the future.' In another case, last year, IOL reported that police at Dennilton, in Limpopo, arrested a 39-year-old man for allegedly raping his 15-year-old daughter repeatedly at Moteti village in the Sekhukhune District. It is alleged that the father initially raped the girl in March 2021, when she was aged 12, and the little girl fell pregnant. Police said the first pregnancy was ultimately terminated, but the girl's mother was not aware of it. The girl did not reveal to her mother that she was pregnant. The second pregnancy was also terminated, according to Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba. 'It is alleged that the suspect continued to rape her daughter repeatedly up until the daughter fell pregnant again in October 2023,' said Mashaba. IOL News
The Citizen
2 days ago
- The Citizen
Pretoria father gets life for raping daughter over 10 years and convincing her it was normal
Pretoria father gets life for raping daughter over 10 years and convincing her it was normal A Pretoria father has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Magistrates' Court for the repeated rape of his daughter over a ten-year period, beginning when she was just nine years old. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the 64-year-old father from Mamelodi appeared in court recently. 'The abuse began when the victim was 9 years old in 2010 and continued until she was 19 in 2020, occurring during weekend and school holidays when the victim would visit her father. 'The mother of the victim and the father were not married; they only shared the child. Before the abuse started, the father told the victim that the abuse was normal in households and warned her not to tell her mother because she had a heart condition.' Mahanjana said in 2018, when the victim was 16 years old, while being raped by her father, the condom broke. 'When the father realised that the condom was broken, he told her to track her menstrual cycle and if she misses it, she should inform him.' When the daughter missed her periods and was pregnant, he gave her R1,500 to terminate the pregnancy. The rapes persisted despite this. She said the abuse came to light in 2021 when the victim started dating and confided in her boyfriend that her father was the only person she had been intimate with, believing it was normal. 'The boyfriend informed the mother, who confronted the daughter. After realising what had been happening was wrong the daughter opened the case at the Mamelodi east police station on January 16 2021 and the father was arrested on the same day.' Mahanjana said in court, the father pleaded not guilty, denying the charges. 'However, Regional Court Prosecutor Anton Burger presented compelling evidence, proving his guilt. 'During sentencing, the father requested leniency, citing his role as a breadwinner for his wife, three other children, and two granddaughters.' Burger opposed this, arguing the lack of remorse, the prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV), and the father's betrayal of his duty to protect his daughter. Furthermore, Burger said the father instructed his own daughter to terminate a pregnancy after realising that he was going to father her daughter's child. 'What was more shocking was that the father planned the sexual abuse because he prepared the victim for it before it even started and made her believe it was a normal thing, he added. 'In the Victim Impact Statement (VIS), facilitated by the court preparation officer, Kgomotso Lodi, the victim said she cannot recall life without rape, she lost her teenage years, and she now suffers from depression and low self-esteem.' When handing down the sentence, the Acting Regional Court Magistrate Pierre Wessels said violence against women and children is a pandemic in this country and it was the duty of the courts to combat such offences. The Magistrate furthermore agreed with the state that the man showed no remorse for the offences as such he found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the sentence of life imprisonment. The court declared the unfit to work with children or possess a firearm, ordered his name added to the National Register for Sexual Offenders, and directed that his two granddaughters be referred to the children's court for investigation and inquiry. 'The NPA welcomes this sentence, reaffirms its dedication to eradicating GBV, a pervasive crisis in South Africa, by supporting survivors and ensuring perpetrators face severe consequences. 'This case exemplifies our victim-centred approach and our resolve to foster safe environments where children's rights to dignity and safety are upheld. Together with our justice partners, we call on communities to stand united against GBV, reporting abuse to break the silence and protect the future.' Also read: Hero father gunned down protecting family — just hours before son's 6th birthday Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.
