A man who brutally assaulted a woman while she was out jogging in Pretoria West has been sentenced to life in prison, nearly five years after the traumatic incident that left her physically and emotionally scarred.
In August 2020, the young woman was jogging along Kloof Street when she was ambushed by three men who emerged from nearby bushes. She was dragged into the undergrowth where one of the attackers, 32-year-old Mulero Nyangero, raped her while the others beat and threatened her with a knife. The attackers then forced her to transfer money to them using her phone, tied her hands, and left her in the bush.
Despite the horror she had endured, the woman managed to free herself and make it to the roadside, where a passing motorist stopped to help. She was taken to the Pretoria West police station to report the attack.
Nyangero was eventually arrested months later at a tavern in the area and has remained behind bars since February 2021. During his trial, he denied the charges and appealed to the court for leniency, citing his responsibilities as a husband and father of two young children.
However, prosecutor Chester Molaba stressed the seriousness of the crime and highlighted Nyangero’s lack of remorse. “These kinds of violent attacks on women are sadly far too common in our country, and must be met with justice,” he said.
Magistrate Themba Ndwandwe agreed, stating that the brutality of the attack and the absence of any remorse left no grounds for leniency. Nyangero was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and an additional five years for aggravated robbery, with both sentences to run concurrently.
This ruling brings a measure of justice to the survivor and serves as a firm statement against gender-based violence in South Africa.