Man jailed for raping 71-yr-old
2007-11-07 21:24
Grahamstown - Eastern Cape man was sent to prison for life on Wednesday for raping his late father's 71-year-old girlfriend.
High Court Judge Jeremy Pickering told Michael Rolihlahla, 26, of Tyoksville, Dordrecht, his actions were "brutal and perverted and perpetrated on a small, frail old woman who was old enough to be your grandmother".
Rolihlahla was also sentenced to 15 years in prison for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The prison term for robbery will run concurrently with the life sentence.
The woman has since died of unrelated causes.
Earlier this week, Rolihlahla pleaded guilty to raping and robbing the woman on February 1 2006, after breaking into her house with co-accused Zamekile Dyantyi, 25, also from Tyoksville.
He had originally pleaded not guilty, but changed his mind, when State advocate Buks Coetzee was about to call Superintendent Sharlene Otto to give DNA evidence.
According to the indictment, Rolihahla's DNA marker had been found in his semen on the woman's petticoat.
The court heard that Dyantyi died in August 2006, after a long illness.
The two men stole 25kgs of maize meal, two litres of fish oil, five kilograms of sugar, and coffee and soap from the woman.
'Didn't know rape was serious'
Testifying in mitigation of sentence on Tuesday, Rollihalha said "we took the food because we were hungry".
He said: "Dyantyi raped the woman in the kitchen and told me to do the same, so I did.
"I did not know that rape was a serious crime, but I know that what I did was wrong. I came to Dordrecht recently from a farm. I do not know about these things."
Pickering dismissed this claim as "ludicrous".
"He (the accused) has stated with amazing candour, that he did not feel sorry for the complainant and does not have any compassion for her," the judge said.
"He has no remorse or insight into what he has done. There are no prospects of him ever being rehabilitated."
Rolihalha became tearful as he was led down to the cells by a court orderly.
- SAPA