By Jonk wa Mashamba
news@alexreporter.co.za
The High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Local Division, Johannesburg sentenced a habitual rapist, Oupa Morgan (30) to an effective seven life and 60 years imprisonment.
At the time of his sentencing in Johannesburg, Morgan was already serving 18 years imprisonment imposed by the Limpopo High Court in February 2021 for numerous counts of rapes and robberies with aggravating circumstances which were committed in Limpopo between 2016 and 2017.
After leaving Limpopo in 2017, he then moved to Gauteng and continued on his trail of destruction, pouncing on women on their way to work and in their homes from March 2018 to October 2018.
Morgan was found guilty of seven counts of rape and robbery with aggravating circumstances, six counts of kidnapping and two counts of contravention of the Firearms Control Act (pointing of anything which is likely to lead a person to believe it is a firearm) and one count of housebreaking with intent to commit an offence.
According to Phindi Mjonondwane
Regional Spokesperson (Gauteng Local Division) Morgan entered into a guilty plea to all counts on 01 March 2021 and the court postponed to 24 June 2021 for a pre-sentence report detailing his personal circumstances, including his family background and upbringing.
“The state submitted Victim Impact Statements which detailed how these women were scarred for life. The reports added that some of them lost their jobs as a result of the trauma of Morgan’s crimes,” Mjonondwane said.
The state prosecutor, Valencia Dube, further submitted a plea and sentence agreement as well as a pre-sentence report that was submitted to the Limpopo High Court in an attempt to prove that Morgan got away with lies about his circumstances in that court.
As a result, he was sentenced to nine years for each count of rape.
“I therefore ask this court not to fall in the same trick by the accused whose intentions are to make a mockery of the justice system.
“The accused has demonstrated that he cannot be trusted with taking the court into his confidence when presented with an opportunity to do so. I urge this court to protect society by removing him from society as there are no prospects of successfully rehabilitating him,” said Advocate Dube.
The judge said the court was dealing with a habitual offender who had a chance of redeeming himself after leaving Limpopo, but chose to continue inflicting harm to unsuspecting women.
“The NPA welcomed the sentence,”said Mjonondwane.
