Serial rapist faces 75 years in jail

A convicted serial rapist Thatayaone Nka (30) who was slapped with a 45-year jail term for three rape charges plus 30 strokes of the cane on his bare buttocks by a Francistown magistrate Dumisani Basupi returned to court Tuesday to answer for two more rape charges. These charges resurfaced following his conviction last year. The notorious Nka who was convicted of three counts of rape appeared before Principal Magistrate, Thebeitsile Mulalu on Tuesday. The magistrate threw out his application for a permanent stay of prosecution for a rape offence he allegedly committed on 23 February 2016 on a school girl. The magistrate argued that the delay in prosecuting the case was not a deliberate move since the magistrate in question had been transferred to another department giving the prosecution no choice but to keep on postponing the matter. Trial date for the matter was then set for 29th May 2018. Still before the same magistrate, another of Nka’s rape cases involving another student was mentioned and the facts of the case read to the accused. He pleaded not guilty and asked court to move the case to another magistrate. Magistrate Mulalu did not have any objections as he said that another magistrate will be allocated the case as per the wish of the accused person. The court learnt that Nka targeted lone school girls at hiking spots in the morning and offered them a ride in his white truck before viciously threatening and raping them at knife point or a screw driver after turning to any nearby bush. If convicted for the two pending rape charges, Nka is likely to face a 75 year jail term in the event he is slapped with a minimum sentence of 15 years per offence.