HAMMANSKRAAL SERIAL RAPIST SENTENCED TO FIVE LIFE TERMS AND 191 YEARS BEHIND BARS.

Johannes Nokeri (28), who raped and robbed residents of Hammanksraal in northern Tshwane, was on Friday sentenced to 191 years imprisonment by the North West High Court. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson, Henry Mamothame said Nokeri embarked on a series of rapes, robberies and theft in the areas around Hammanskraal and Temba in the Province between 2012 and 2017.

He furthermore added that Nokeri has two previous convictions on two charges of rape and robbery and was sentenced to ten years imprisonment to which he has now served three years. It was confirmed that he applied the same modus operandi by threatening his victims with violence if they failed to abide by his orders. In some of the rape charges, the state relied on DNA results that linked him to the commissioning of these offences.

“He was also found in possession of six live rounds of ammunition. During court proceedings, it emerged that in some of his offences, he was accompanied by an individual unknown to the state,” said Mamothame. Two of the victims testified in court and alluded to Nokeri’s aggressive behaviour when he raped and robbed them. One of the victims was five months pregnant when she was repeatedly raped by Nokeri.

“Nokeri was previously afforded three Legal Aid attorneys and one private attorney sourced by Legal Aid, but he fired them and opted to represent himself throughout the trial,” said Mamothame. North West High Court Judge, Shane Kgoele described Nokeri as an individual who has no respect for women and further alluded to the responsibility that the court has in protecting communities against the likes of Nokeri. “I refer to the conviction as a way of sending a strong message to perpetrators of such crimes,” she said. “Nokeri mostly targeted unsuspecting women who travelled from taverns at night in the early hours of the morning. He robbed them of money, cellphones and clothing before raping some of them,” said Mamothame.

By: Ntombikayise Madlala