NOORDWESTER - MOLOPO – The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes the life imprisonment sentence handed down by the Molopo Regional Court to Daniel Sekunelo Togole (57) for rape and additional twenty years for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The court ordered that both sentences run concurrently, and the accused has been added to the National Register for Sex Offenders.
The convictions relate to an incident on the evening of 4 September 2012 in Mmabatho near Mahikeng.
It is alleged that the victim was with her friends at Mmabatho CBD, seated in a car, when three unknown men emerged and attacked them. Upon their arrival, the attackers searched the car and its occupants. Evidence presented in court revealed that the three men wore masks and gloves. The driver was tied up with a rope and was put on the back of the bakkie.
The perpetrators drove the car to a bushy area where they robbed the victims of their cell phones, property and cash amounting to R40. Togole also proceeded to sexually assaulted a young woman (aged 21). After the rape incident, the victims were left behind in the bushes, and they managed to drive to the nearest clinic seeking help.
A case of rape was opened, and police investigations led by Warrant Officer Tshepang Lentsokwe only linked Togole to the offence through DNA. He was arrested three years later and has been in custody since.
Despite pleading not guilty, he was found guilty based on compelling evidence presented by the prosecution. In aggravation of sentence, Advocate Kefentse Diseko argued that the accused showed no remorse for his actions. He emphasised the gravity and prevalence of rape in his arguments for sentencing. He articulated that Togole’s actions constituted a violation of the victim’s constitutional rights to bodily integrity and safety, resulting in brutal violence and lasting trauma.
In his ruling, Magistrate Ndade Maphango acknow-ledged the aggravating circumstances of the case. He ruled that the accused showed no remorse and targeted a vulnerable person, being a woman.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the life sentence handed down to the convicted rapist as a strong reaffirmation of the justice system’s unwavering commitment in protecting the rights and dignity of victims of sexual violence.
