A 76-year-old traditional healer was sentenced to 30 years’ direct imprisonment for three counts of raping a 16-year-old female victim from Warrenton.
According to Sgt Timothy Sam, police spokesperson, this sentence was handed down to Jerry “Gobela” Mabundza on Tuesday, 18 July, in the Kimberley Regional Court.
The rape incidents took place between November 2020 and January 2021.
The court heard that the accused, who was a mentor to the victim’s sangoma trainee mother, repeatedly and on various occasions raped the daughter under the pretence that it was part of the mother’s traditional ritual training programme.
The victim could not relate this unlawful act to the mother, fearing that it may derail the mother’s training. However, the mother noticed strange behaviour from her daughter and interrogated her.
The daughter then finally told the mother what occurred, who then reported the matter to the police.
Mabundza was sentenced to ten years’ direct imprisonment for each of the three reported counts of rape. His name will be included in the national sex offenders’ database.
Lt. Gen. Koliswa Otola, provincial commissioner of the Northern Cape, applauded Det. Sgt Ogolotse Edwin Thabapelo for the thorough investigation of the case.
