South African Who Raped Three Pupils Jailed For Life

A 29-year-old man from the Northern Cape was sentenced at the Kimberley Regional Court to life imprisonment after raping three school pupils.

After hearing that Jason Witbooi had five prior convictions, it became clear that he was no stranger to the legal system.

Witbooi was found guilty of three charges of rape in 2016 and two counts of breaking in 2018, according to Mojalefa Senokoatsane, the provincial spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

The pupils were on their way home from school the day of the attack when Witbooi approached them and offered to show them a shortcut through the veld, according to the evidence presented in court.

He raped all three of the youngsters when they followed him.

The victims informed the police of their ordeal.

After a thorough investigation by the police, Witbooi's DNA was used to link him to the crimes. 

According to Senokoatsane, Witbooi entered a guilty plea as a result of the overwhelming evidence.

State Prosecutor Nicola van Niekerk argued during the aggravation of sentence that the court should not depart from the mandatory life sentence since Witbooi had demonstrated his danger to society.

She argued that a life sentence for him would be in the best interests of the neighbourhood.

This was accepted by the court and he was given a life sentence on each count, with the orders that they run concurrently.

“The conviction and sentence confirm the commitment of the National Prosecuting Authority in the fight against gender-based violence and to ensure that the citizenry particularly, can continue to live in freedom and security within their communities,” Senokoatsane said.