Pretoria - The Witbank Regional Court has sentenced serial rapist Victor Presley Magampa, aged 37, to two life terms coupled with 120 years imprisonment after a reign of terror in which different hitch-hiking women were robbed of their belongings and raped.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said since 2014, Magampa had targeted different women who were hitch-hiking at various places, including KwaMhlanga, Vosman, and Mhluzi, using different vehicles.
“It (the sentencing) was the end of remorseless repression when Victor Presley Magampa (37) was sentenced to two life terms coupled with 120 years imprisonment. For a while, Magampa terrorised the helpless and needy women in the Nkangala District, but his time expired when the Witbank Regional Court sentenced him on Tuesday, 4 April 2023,” Mohlala narrated.
“According to information, the convict ruined his victims' lives from 2014 as he targeted women who were hitch-hiking in various places, including KwaMhlanga, Vosman, and Mhluzi.”
Mohlala said the women targeted by Magampa were aged between 18 and 36.
“It transpired that Magampa used different vehicles to mislead investigation. He was not only focusing on rapes, but he further robbed his victims of their money and other valuables. He would often take his victims to secluded areas like nearby bushes, then rape and rob them of their belongings at gunpoint,” said Mohlala.
“After the successful investigation, the accused was sentenced on 11 counts.”
Magampa was sentenced to two life imprisonment for two counts of rape, 10 years on each count of three rape cases, as well as 15 years on each count of the six robberies with aggravated circumstances incidents.
“He was also declared unsuitable to work with children, and his name would be added to the register for sexual offenders,” said Mohlala.
Meanwhile, the provincial commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, has welcomed Magampa’s sentencing, highlighting the adverse effect of his actions on his multiple victims.
“It is totally unacceptable that victims will have to undergo physical, emotional and psychological abuse under people like the accused,” she said.
IOL