'Pack of dogs' put away

2003-12-15 18:12

Cobus Coetzee and Riot Hlatshwayo

Nelspruit - The gang that kidnapped and raped British tourist Julie Stevens were branded a "pack of wild dogs" before being sentenced to multiple life sentences on Monday.

Erick Msibi, 23, Sipho Mbokane, 29, Michael Dube, 20, and Willie Ngwenya, 20 showed no emotion when the Nelspruit circuit of the Pretoria High Court sentenced each of them to life imprisonment.

They were given additional sentences of up to 56-years for murder, rape, indecent assault, assault, kidnapping, robbery, and possession of illegal firearms.

"You are like vicious wild dogs who tear living flesh from their prey," said a visibly disgusted Judge NJ Coetzee, to gasps from the spectators' gallery.

"Your acts fill me with revulsion."

These include Msibi's double rape of Stevens, as well as her repeated indecent assault by Dube and Mbokane. Opperman, who was stabbed in the thigh by the attackers, was forced to watch the rapes.

Judge Coetzee also described the "sickening" murder of Mozambican motorist Domingo Alberto Chambal, who was shot at point-blank range, as one of the most serious he had yet passed judgement on.

"This was a man who stopped to offer help after you crashed your vehicle. He was offering a helping hand, but instead you tried to rob him and then executed him. I am repulsed by your inhumane [response] to a good deed."

Ambushed, paraded

The four men ambushed and then kidnapped Stevens and her South African companion, Tinus Opperman, at a popular tourist attraction on the Long Tom Pass last year November.

The men bundled their two hostages into the couple's car, before embarking on a 14-hour drinking spree using R1 000 cash stolen from Stevens' bank account.

None of the people at a string of taverns where Stevens was paraded as "white flesh", before being raped twice, attempted to rescue the couple.

Instead, their "hell ride" only ended 220km later when an extremely drunk Msibi lost control and rolled the stolen vehicle while speeding towards the former gold rush town of Barberton.

Chambal, who stopped to offer assistance, was shot in the head by the panicked gang.

b>Crimes 'appalling, senseless and humiliating' "Your crimes are all appalling, senseless and humiliating acts. I think Julie Stevens will be scared for the rest of her life," said Judge Coetzee while handling down sentence.

Neither Stevens nor Opperman were present in court on Monday.

British High Commission spokesperson, Nick Sheppard, however welcomed the speedy trial and sentencing.

"[Stevens] is very pleased that all this is finally over, and that justice has been done," said Sheppard.

Opperman's mother, Joey Opperman, attended the sentencing and was visibly thrilled at the tough sentences.

"I will call Tinus in Mozambique and Julie in England tonight and tell them the good news," smiled Opperman.

- African Eye