Metro

South African serial rapist bags 83 years in jail

Published

2 years ago

February 26, 2023

A 29-year-old South African serial rapist, Moses Charles Mahlangu, has been sentenced to 83 years imprisonment after he was found guilty of five charges of rape, five counts of kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances and one count of sexual assault.

Mahlangu was convicted on Friday by the Kwaggafontein Regional Court a series of rapes and robbery crimes he committed between August 2017 and May 2019, in Vlaklaagte in the district of Kwaggafontein.

Spokesperson for the SA NPA. Monica Nyuswa, who spoke after the ruling said “Mahlangu targeted women walking in a pathway between Gembokspruit and Vlaaklagte number 2, threatened them with a sharp object resembling a screwdriver, force them to the bush and rape them.”

“He would sometimes rob them of their belongings like cellphones. Cases were opened, and the accused was traced via a recovered cellphone and was subsequently linked to other rapes through DNA.”

Though the accused denied the allegations against him, state prosecutor Nicky Coetzer, who led evidence of the victims testified about how the convict encountered his victims in the pathway between Gembokspruit and Vlaklaagte.

“They (victims) told the court about how they suffered at the hands of the accused, and the evidence was supported by positive DNA, linking Mahlangu with the crime of rape. Coetzer, handed in victim impact statements, detailing how the rape incidents impacted on them.

“Magistrate Greyvenstein found the accused guilty as charged.”

“The NPA acknowledged the good work done by the prosecution and the investigating team in delivering justice to the victims of gender-based violence,” said Nyuswa.

Following the testimonies by the victims, the court said it found no substantial and compelling circumstances that warrant a deviation from the prescribed minimum sentence and therefore sentenced the accused as prescribed by law, and duly sentenced him.

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Metro

Zambia’s ruling party UPND warns against personal attacks on President Hichilema

Published

8 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Zambia’s ruling party, the UPND, has warned opposition politicians and critics against personal attacks on President Hakainde Hichilema as his meekness should not be mistaken for weakness.

Secretary-General of the UPND, Batuke Imenda, who gave the warning in a statement in Lusaka on Monday, urged political opponents to always engage in mature and issue-based discourse.

Zambia Monitor reports that Imenda’s warning, was directed at the leader of Zambia Must Prosper (ZMP) party, Kelvin Bwalya Fube, whose recent remarks Imenda described as “provocative” and a “feeble attempt to mislead citizens.”

“Provocative words uttered by Kelvin Bwalya against our party and President Hichilema are a clear demonstration of naivety,” Imenda said in the statement.

He further advised Bwalya to abandon personal attacks and focus on substantial political issues.

The UPND Secretary suggested that Bwalya’s attacks stemmed from a desire for relevance amid declining political fortunes, hinting at a possible alignment with former President Edgar Lungu.

“It appears KBF is hoping that Edgar Lungu might support his embattled political career by unjustly attacking President Hichilema,” he said.

Imenda defended the President’s record, highlighting that under Hichilema’s leadership, Zambia’s democratic space had expanded compared to the previous PF administration, which he accused of stifling freedoms.

He noted that while criticism was welcome, it should not devolve into baseless attacks, warning that opposition figures should not misinterpret Hichilema’s restraint as weakness.

Imenda also criticized Bwalya for overlooking the gains in transparency and justice since the change in government, claiming that past regimes were marked by resource mismanagement and corruption.

Metro

Following backlash, Nigerian govt withdraws treason charges against minors

Published

14 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Nigerian government has officially withdrawn the treason charges it entered against some minors who participated in the #EndBadGovernance protest that spread across the country from August 1 to the 10th.

The nation was thrown into shock on Friday when the Nigeria Police presented 76 protesters at the Federal High Court in Abuja on charges bordering on treason. Among the suspects were four minors who slumped before they could be arraigned before the court.

This caused serious uproar in the country with Nigerians condemning the government and calling for the unconditional release of the kids and the dismissal of the charges against them.

The decision to withdraw the charges against the underage accused came following a directive by President Bola Tinubu who ordered the immediate withdrawal of the charges and an in-depth investigation into what led to the arrest and detention of the minors.

Tinubu had also ordered the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, (SAN) to officially take over the case file as well as review the cases following public outcry that came with the arraignment of the minors.

The charges were finally withdrawn on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja through an application for discontinuance filled by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the AGF.

According to Abubakar, the discontinuance application was based on provisions of sections 174(1), (b) and (c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015.

The DPPF also applied for further proceedings to be conducted without the presence of the minors in the courtroom, in line with provisions of Section 266(b) of the ACJA, 2015, and Section 1 of the Childs’ Rights Act.

In response, human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Fanala (SAN), who stood in for the accused as well as other defence lawyers in the matter, did not oppose the applications which promoted the judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, to strike out the charges, while the four affected minors were also delisted from the charge sheet.