Only in South Africa: Abram Johannes Mahlangu, aged 28, jailed for raping 101-year-old gogo
Abram Johannes Mahlangu has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of a 101-year-old woman, along with an additional three-year sentence for housebreaking.
Image: File
Provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has welcomed the sentencing of 28-year-old Abram Johannes Mahlangu to life imprisonment for the rape of a 101-year-old woman, along with an additional three-year sentence for housebreaking.
The incident occurred at Sehlakoana Village, Zaaplaas, on Friday, 26 July 2024, at approximately 18:00. The court noted that the victim had gone to sleep in her bedroom with doors and windows securely closed, and nothing unusual was noticed.
The following morning, Saturday, 27 July 2024, at about 05:00, while the victim was still in bed, an unknown male entered her room. The suspect forcibly restrained the victim, ordered her to remain quiet, undressed her, and raped her. After committing the heinous crime, the accused escaped through a window.
Abram Johannes Mahlangu has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of a 101-year-old woman, along with an additional three-year sentence for housebreaking.
Image: SAPS
The victim immediately sought help, and her nephew pursued the suspect. Through the diligent work of the investigating officer, Warrant Officer Victoria Phala of the Groblersdal Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit, the accused was identified, arrested, and later linked to the crime through DNA analysis.
Mahlangu was found guilty of rape in terms of Section 3 of Act 32 of 2007 and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was also sentenced to three years for housebreaking.
Meanwhile, Hadebe has commended the investigating officer and all stakeholders involved for their dedication in ensuring that justice was served, and reiterated that crimes against the elderly will be treated with the utmost seriousness.
Last year, IOL reported that the Groblersdal Regional Court in Limpopo sentenced a 35-year-old rapist to life imprisonment after he was convicted of raping and assaulting a 90-year-old woman.
The court heard that on July 31, 2022, Ephraim Matshela Madiba broke into the house of the elderly woman at Elandskraal and found a panga in the victim’s bedroom.
“He assaulted her with it before raping her. He thereafter fled the scene with the said panga,” said Limpopo provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba.