Sob story can’t save father-of-two from 15 years in the slammer
Despite insisting he was a changed man who has found God, turned his back on alcohol and transformed himself into a good father, there was no mercy for a convicted rapist as Molepolole Magistrates Court threw the book at him.
Indeed, 40-year-old Tiso Madilanyana’s week quickly went from bad to worse.
On Monday, the father-of-two was sentenced to 12 years behind bars for the rape of a 38-year-old woman on 19 January 2018.
It was a ruling that caused an audible gasp of disbelief from the convicted rapist. Little did he realise, but further bad news lay just round the corner!
The very next day, Madilanyana was summoned back to court where, to his dismay, Magistrate, Kefilwe Resheng slapped an extra three years on his prison term, noting the minimum sentence for rape with violence is 15 years.
Earlier, the government employee had hoped to escape a custodial sentence, begging to be spared jail on account that he was reformed and would lose his job should he be sent to the slammer.
Madilanyana, who works as a Field Assistant at the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security, told court, “I pray for the court to have mercy on me that I am a government employee at Mantshwabisi. Also I’m staying with an old woman and my two children in Standard 6 and 2. The last born suffers from epilepsy and their mother, who was an orphan, died in 2018.”
Continuing his sob story, the convicted rapist revealed he was the family breadwinner, was responsible for paying their herdboy and had been plagued by ill-health ever since suffering an accident last year.
“I never committed any other offence after this and I was lucky to find this job, if I lose it where I’m I going to get another one? I have learnt a lesson that being involved in drugs and alcohol landed me in trouble. I also attend church prayers, may the court forgive me,” he begged.
However, Madilanyana was told he must pay for what he has done.
Noting that issues of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) were prevalent in society and showing no signs of decreasing, Magistrate Resheng said she was compelled to send Madilanyana away for a long time.
She advised him to use his lengthy stretch in incarceration to reflect on his crime, adding that when he is eventually set free he will be in a better position to teach his fellow man how to treat woman and warn them of the consequences that lie in wait should they fall short!
In an ordeal that dates back almost four years ago, Madilanyana was found guilty of brutally raping a woman, subjecting his victim to a night of terror and only releasing her the following morning.
Beaten to a pulp, the victim reportedly arrived home with her eye swollen shut, without her panty and shoes, which Madilanyana later returned to her.
It was also heard this was not the rapist’s first brush with the law, having been found guilty of theft and sentenced to three strokes of the cane by Molepolole Customary Court back in September, 2002.
His latest punishment will hurt a whole lot worse.
