A rapist has been sentenced by a court.

• Kagiso resident Percy Matimba Chauke is believed to have lured his victims with the promise of job opportunities.
• He took pictures of their private parts, threatening to post it on social media if they reported him to the police.
• Acting Judge Johnson said the accused had no conscience.

The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg sentenced a serial rapist from Kagiso to three life terms and 134 years imprisonment. 

Percy Matimba Chauke, 36, faced nine counts of rape, six of robbery and one of theft.

He targeted unemployed women between May 2016 and July 2017. He lured the women by promising job opportunities.

According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane, Chauke convinced victims he was taking them to prospective recruiters. He would direct the women to a veld, where he threatened them with a gun or knife. He then raped and robbed them of their cash and belongings. 

“He would then leave them in the veld. The victims would get to the road for help. In some instances, he would innocently talk to women waiting for taxis on the side of the road in and around Krugersdorp.

“He would, thereafter, threatened them with a firearm or a knife, lead them to secluded areas or bushes, rape them and rob them of their belongings,” said Mjonondwane.

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During the trial, the State prosecutor, advocate Pakanyiswa Marasela, told the court the accused, after raping three victims, took pictures of their private parts and threatened to circulate it on social media if they reported him to the police.

Witnesses

The State brought forward 10 witnesses to take the stand.

It also called the victims to testify in aggravation of sentence. 

Marasela asked the court not to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentence of life imprisonment.

The prosecutor also argued that the accused committed the crimes over a protracted period, meaning it was not opportunistic but deliberate.

Mjonondwane said the court found that Chauke’s conduct was inhumane and stripped the women of their dignity. 

“Acting Judge Johnson remarked that Chauke has no [conscience] at all, even in court he was trying by all means possible to delay the case, thereby also delaying the process of closure for the witnesses.”