Man who raped student in front of her mother gets life behind bars

A man who raped a first-year engineering student at knifepoint, in front of her mother, has been sentenced to life behind bars and 28 years direct imprisonment.

On September 8, Mabuthi Maya was convicted by Cape Town's Bellville Sexual Offences Court of two counts of rape, attempted robbery, robbery with aggravating circumstances, assault and compelling or causing a person older than 18 to witness a sexual assault. The sentences will not run concurrently.

State advocate Dercia Rabie told the court that in June 2018 Maya broke into a house in Bellville and found the student alone. Threatening her with a knife, he raped her and later took items including four laptops, three cellphones, a camera and cash. They were never recovered.

“Maya was alone with the student for two hours and he terrorised her. Her mother arrived around lunchtime, whereupon he threatened her with a knife and made threats that he would burn her with boiling water,” said provincial National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila on Tuesday.

“The accused threatened to rape her daughter in front of her, which he subsequently did.”

A victim impact statement indicated the young victim spent a year-and-a-half in therapy after the ordeal, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and embarrassment. She also harmed herself, fears strangers, dislikes physical contact and has nightmares. The family had to move home for six months and a sibling had to change schools. The victim failed her first year.

Rabie urged the court not to divert from the prescribed minimum sentence, arguing that the rapist did not just hurt his victim, but destroyed her self-respect and feelings of physical and mental integrity and security. She would be haunted for the rest of her life.

“The court remarked that the accused is everyone’s nightmare and cannot be let loose on the public. He is an absolute danger to women and society,” said Ntabazalila.

Director of public prosecutions (DPP) Nicolette Bell said: “We cannot have women living in fear when they walk the streets, in public transport and worse, have their privacy and security invaded by criminals who have no ounce of decency or care for other people’s rights. As the NPA we will continue to play our role and ensure such heartless criminals are handed down heavy sentences that fit the heinous crimes they commit.” 

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