It was all joy in the Tzaneen High Court when Judge Willy Serite sentenced Mr Sonti Sunday Malatjie (38) of Topanang Village to 23 life sentences last Thursday. People started to sing freedom songs as a sign of praising the justice system for what they described as a “job well done”.

The court heard that Malatjie preyed on little girls between the ages of 5 and 13 during the year 2002. The court further heard that Malatjie used to prey on small children who came to fetch water at the water tap next to his home. He would call the victims and give them sweets before taking them into his shack, where he raped them.

Malatjie’s arrest came after one of the victims, a five-year-old girl came out of his shack crying. When the girl’s parents interrogated her, she told them that Malatjie had raped her. Malatjie dissappeared after the incident. He was arrested several months after the incident.

More young girls came out forth, saying that Malatjie had raped them before the incident that led to his arrest resulting in his facing 25 counts of rape. The court dismissed two of the counts and the accused was convicted on 23. Before passing the sentence, Judge Serite said that “there is a need to keep people like Malatjie away from the community to ensure that our daughters and mothers can walk freely in the streets”.

Judge Serite said that Malatjie had displayed a cruel character during his court appearance saying he did not show any sign of remorse. When accorded an opportunity to mitigate the sentence, Malatjie told the court that he was innocent and that his arrest was the result of the conspiracy by the victims’ parents who were jealous of his prosperity.

The accused was represented by Adv Maxwell Sekhutshi, while Adv Ratshilumela Makhera prosecuted.

The provincial police commissioner, Calvin Sengani, commended the justice system for the sentence. “We will not rest in our endeavours to track down and arrest rapists of small and innocent children. We express the hope that the heavy sentence passed by the court will make suspects think twice before they commit such heinous crimes,” reads an extract of the statement from the commissioner’s office.