‘Beaded penis’ serial rapist gets 4 life terms

Whispers of “Satan” could be heard from the public gallery as serial rapist Sipho Mbokazi was sentenced to four life terms.

Pretoria - Whispers of “Satan” could be heard from the public gallery as serial rapist Sipho Mbokazi was sentenced to four life terms in jail plus an additional 213 years.

While his victims cried bitterly during sentencing in the high court in Pretoria on Wednesday, the 37-year-old - also known as the “beaded rapist” because of the beads in his private parts - appeared not to be upset about his fate.

Mbokazi glimpsed once in the direction of the public gallery before rushing down to the holding cells.

A mother and her teenage daughter who were both raped by Mbokazi, hugged each other with tears streaming down their faces.

As Judge Jody Kollapen detailed the trauma suffered by Mbokazi’s seven rape victims, the mother had to be consoled by a friend.

The mother earlier told the court that she felt she had failed her daughter, who was 15 when they were raped in their Soshanguve home. The family were so traumatised by what happened that they had to move from their house - the scene of the crime.

Judge Kollapen on Wednesday told each victim that they were brave women to have faced their rapist in court and thus ensured that justice was done. The judge, in a fatherly manner, told the victims that what happened to them was not their fault.

“I have little doubt that the consequences of what happened will stay with you for a long time. Some of you will overcome the effects with time; for others it may last for ever, but the fact that you came to court to testify showed that you will not allow what had happened to defeat you.”

The reign of terror and brutality Mbokazi embarked on for two years in Soshanguve and the destruction he left behind, would have a lasting effect on all involved, the judge said.

The fact that most of the victims were attacked in their own homes - mostly at night - made it even more traumatic for them, he added.

The women, after sentencing, told the Pretoria News that they didn't think they would ever come to terms with what happened to them at the hands of the man some have dubbed “Satan”.

“I hope he rots in jail. I never want to see his face again. Women should be protected against him,” one of the victims said.

Another said while she was happy with the sentence, it would not bring closure. “He simply ruined our lives and I have no idea how to pick up the pieces,” she said.

Mbokazi was sentenced following his earlier conviction on 22 charges - including 10 of rape and nine of robbery with aggravating circumstances.

He raped some of his victims twice.

Mbokazi, also known as the Soshanguve serial rapist, embarked on a reign of terror among women north of Pretoria, from August 2012 to April 2013.

Masked by a balaclava in many cases, he violently raped his victims at either knife or gunpoint after robbing them. One victim, who was raped in front of her 6-year-old son, said the child had been terrified ever since. “He does not want to stay with me and he is terrified of the dark.”

Despite DNA evidence linking him to the crimes, as well as his victims identifying him, Mbokazi disputed throughout that he was the rapist.

Some of the victims said they would never forget his eyes. But his beaded penis mostly gave him away, as many of the victims also identified him through that.

Mbokazi admitted that he used to wear beads on his private parts, but said he had since removed them. But he said this was not to say he was the rapist, as “a beaded penis is not uncommon”.

Judge Kollapen said it was tragic and sad that women had to be subjected to Mbokazi’s brutality and humiliation. “Women enjoy equality ... they are entitled to be free. No man has the right to undermine this.”

Serial rapists likely to be re-offenders

Serial rapists have a poor prognosis of ever rehabilitating and statistics show that, once released from jail, most commit criminal offences again.

This is according to a report submitted by Major Hayden Knibbs, chief police psychologist, in Mbokazi’s sentencing proceedings. He gave the court some insight into the profiles of serial rapists.

Serial rape is defined as two or more separate instances of rape committed by the same offender against more than one victim. Knibbs said the common characteristics of the modus operandi of serial rapists in South Africa are that they target strangers and commit their rapes outside, in open spaces, after having lured the victim away from where they met.

Other types of approach include the “blitz” - a sudden violent attack on the victim without prior interaction, Knibbs said.

Patterns are typically visible within the offender's modus operandi regarding violent and sexual behaviour. Another common element in serial rapes in South Africa is theft of the victim's belongings, but as a secondary motive to the rape itself.

A study found the rate of re-offending by convicted serial rapists was 53%. Another study on convicted sexual offenders over a period of 25 years, found 88.2% of sexually violent offenders were re-convicted of a new offence at some point.

“It is generally believed that serial rapists cannot be rehabilitated because we do not know why someone becomes aserial rapist.

“There are no intervention programmes specifically for serial rapists and there are many examples of serial rapists re-offending after treatment or incarceration.”

Knibbs said people who commit crimes of a sexual nature are the most difficult to rehabilitate, as the behaviour is linked to their sex drive. The younger the age of the sexual offender, the higher the risk of re-offending.

zelda.venter@inl.co.za

Pretoria News