Kamogelo Muvhenzhe
If found guilty, Tshepiso Mabelane could be the youngest serial rapist in the country.
Now 23, the young man from Sekhukhune in Limpopo was only 13 years old when he allegedly started his raping spree.
Tshepiso is standing trial in the Limpopo High Court facing more than 35 cases of rape and 38 of armed robberies and assault.
His reign of terror allegedly started in 2011, and continued for six years until he was caught in 2016.
Armed with a knife and a firearm, Tshepiso targetted teenagers and women in their early 20s who were either walking alone or with a friend.
He allegedly raped his victims in abandoned houses, at rivers, classrooms of local schools, toilets, bridges, bushes and the quiet streets of the villages. Most victims reported that the rapes were without a condom.
In his first reported case, Tshepiso approached a teenage girl from behind, when she turned around, he covered her face with her T-shirt before ordering her to undress.
In about 10 cases, Tshepiso is reported to have been with accomplices but he would be the only one raping the victims before robbing them.
On some occasions, his accomplices would rob the young women of their belongings, after which he would approach the victims. He would promise to take them to the robbers where she could recover her belongings. But once they got to an abandoned property he would threaten to stab them and then rape them.
Spokesperson for the Limpopo National Prosecuting Authority Mashudi Malabi-Dzhangi confirmed that Tshepiso’s trial was continuing at the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane.
In 2015, Mpho Rakgoale, was named the country’s youngest convicted serial killer when he was convicted and jailed for six life sentences.
Rakgoale was charged with 21 rapes which he committed since he was 17 years old.
