Nelspruit: The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has welcomed a hefty sentence that was handed down to a rapist on Tuesday, 01 November 2022. Papanyana Mike Kolobe (50) was sentenced to 54 years direct imprisonment by the Siyabuswa Regional Court for a spate of rape offences and housebreaking with intent to rape committed between 2013 and 2018.

Kolobe began terrorising the community in 2013 when he pounced on a helpless victim aged 23, it is alleged that in January 2013 the victim was asleep on a couch when she was ordered to undress and was subsequently raped on three counts.

In July 2014, he went to the third victim, a 32-year-old woman who was from church at Kwa Phahla. She too was not be spared by this heartless man. She was walking in the street then the accused approached her from behind though she tried walking faster but he overpowered her and grabbed her from behind then raped her. After the ordeal, the victim was accompanied home by the accused who was unknown to her by then.

In May 2018, Kolobe committed another rape in Siyabuswa C. At that time, a 26-year-old victim was asleep in her residential place when she was woken up by the presence of an intruder in her house. She was strangled by the accused and she fell down then he raped her. A case of house breaking with the intent to rape coupled with a charge of rape was opened.

In the early hours of 29 December 2018, a 40-year-old woman from Siyabuswa B was on her way home when she met the accused who was known to her. Kolobe requested her to accompany him to his residence, the victim resisted but he grabbed and forced her to his residential place. He held her captive the whole night then raped her until he freed her the next morning. A rape case was opened at Siyabuswa Police Station.

The cases were assigned to the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) at Kwamhlanga.  The members worked tirelessly leading to his arrest at Siyabuswa on 30 October 2018. As a result of his arrest, police got an opportunity to dig deep in their investigation and then discovered that he could be considered a serial rapist as he was a suspect to all these cases. In the tour of their investigation, they uncovered that the man was in fact a parolee. The astute members then did the right thing by ensuring that his parolee status was revoked as it was proved that he violated the conditions thereof.

The accused was positively linked to the said rape cases as well as the house breaking case through the evidence that was collected. He was charged with four counts of rape and he was further denied bail for the duration of the trial.

He was sentenced as follows: On count (01) of rape, the accused was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment then on count (02) of rape, the accused was sentenced to 7 years. Meanwhile on count (03) of house breaking with intent to rape, the accused was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment. On count (04) of rape, the accused was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment then on count (05) of rape, the accused was also sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. On count 2, 3 and 4 which are all rape cases, he was linked through DNA. 

The court also ordered that count 3 and 4 run concurrently.

The Regional Magistrate, Mawabo Malangeni indicated that people like the accused, do not belong in the community. They deserve to pay for their sins. He also mentioned that justice needs to be served for the victims. The accused was also declared unfit to possess a firearm. His name will be entered into the national register of sexual offenders.

The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has further thanked the Investigating officers, the prosecution team and the judiciary for the work that was properly performed in these cases as they secured for his commendable sentence.

Source: South African Police Service