NEWS
Convicted serial rapist blames victims
Johannesburg, South Africa  12 December 2007

Convicted serial rapist Mongezi Jinxela claimed during testimony in mitigation of sentence on Wednesday that women misled men and then cried rape to the courts.

Johannesburg High Court Judge George Maluleka found Jinxela guilty last Thursday of raping 60 women. Altogether he was found guilty on 219 charges of rape, kidnapping, robbery and assault.

On Wednesday, state prosecutor Louisa Loot revealed that Jinxela also had past convictions of theft and robbery. On November 20 1990 he was found guilty of theft and on May 16 2002 he was convicted of robbery.

Jinxela said his victims had defied their parents' orders and teachings by lying that they were at school while going around looking for work.

His lawyer, Harold Knobb, requested that Jinxela should receive a minimal sentence, not life imprisonment for the multiple rapes.

He said Jinxela's victims had not contracted HIV from him and some had not suffered any physical injuries. Knobb said the victims were not virgins but young women.

However, the state requested that Jinxela be sentenced to life imprisonment for rape, 15 years for robbery and two to five years for assault and indecent assault.

"He is a serial rapist who committed this crime for a long time. The community must be protected from him. If he gets out he will do it again," said Loot.

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