Pretoria - A Soweto man who raped and killed a 12-year-old girl while he was on parole, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the South Gauteng High Court on Friday.
Jacob Mokibe, 39, kidnapped Mathlogonolo Maditse on her way home from school on 15 February, 2022.
“Mokibe waited for Maditse at the school gate in Dobsonville and called the minor to inform her that her family went to the bushes to pray and that he was going to accompany her to where her family was,” NPA regional spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said.
Mjonondwane said Maditse followed Mokibe without thinking as she had known him to be friends with her uncle.
“On arrival at a bushy area in Dube, the accused raped and thereafter strangled the minor to death. He waited for some time to make sure that she was dead.”
Mokibe then hid her body in the reeds to ensure that she cannot be found. After that, he went to meet a friend and used drugs and alcohol.
“This affected his health as he was suffering from hypertension and was admitted to Jabulani Hospital,” said Mjonondwane.
He was subsequently arrested in March for violating his parole conditions and that’s when he confessed to the murder of Maditse.
He said he killed Maditse because he had feelings for her mother.
Maditse’s decomposing body was found on 24 March, 2022.
Mokibe was convicted of kidnapping, rape, murder, and defeating the administration of justice.
While arguing for a heavy sentence, prosecutor Rotondwa Phungo said Maditse’s mother has never been the same since the passing of her daughter.
“She normally walks out when hearing school children return from school, hoping that Maditse will approach,” Phungo argued.
IOL