05 Nov 2020

Rape is considered one of the most serious offences, and of recent there has been a public outcry that rape occurrences were on a daily rise, thereby putting the onus upon the courts of justice to instill a sense of security among the public by being stern with perpetrators.

This warning was rang by Jwaneng magistrate, Ms Caroline Kataba on November 4 just before sealing the fate of one Keleabetswe Beng, a perpetual offender who seems to have a nag for raping.

Ms Kataba then sentenced Beng to 10 years behind bars, but the Pitseng native is likely to be in jail for double that number of years as he was sentenced to another 10 years for the rape of a 11-year-old girl as recent as a month back.

His only hope for a reduction in the sentence now lies with the High Court, should he take a decision to appeal.

Mr Kataba indicated to the accused that rape offences were constitutionally not to run concurrently with any offence, meaning that Beng would have to complete the first 10 years for the first offence until 2030 when he would then start another 10-year lap for the second sentence.

Ms Kataba also dismissed Beng’s plea for a lighter sentence on the pretext that he did not waste the court’s time, saying that the fact that he changed his plea four times was an enough indication that he intended to delay the court and evade trial as best as he could.

“You pleaded not guilty the first time you were arraigned, and when trial was about to start you changed your plea to guilty.

You later somersaulted and changed your plea back to not guilty, and later when the court set a date for the commencement of trial, you once again changed to guilty.

So your character proved that you are someone who has been evading the start of trial,” she said.

Beng, commonly known as Borukhwinyana, also tried his luck for mercy by reasoning that he was now born again and had repented even though that very same reasoning failed to give him freedom in the previous rape sentence.

He also pleaded with the court to backdate the sentence to when he was remanded, a plea that failed as it did in his previous rape conviction as well.

Beng was accused of having raped a pensioner at the end of November 2016 in Pitseng.

His conviction record also indicated that he was sentenced to 13 strokes by Sese Customary Court in 2013 for unlawful wounding.
In September, he escaped a fine for allegedly stealing a cellphone. ENDS