The Pretoria High Court in Gauteng has handed five life terms to Neo Clifford Mashilo (31) from Soshanguve. Mashilo also received an additional 95 years direct imprisonment for 10 counts of rape, 260 years direct imprisonment for 13 counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, 255 years indirect imprisonment for 17 counts of housebreaking, 10 years for attempted murder, 10 years for attempted robbery, another 10 years for theft of a motor vehicle and 10 years for possession of an unlicensed semi-automatic firearm as well as one-year direct imprisonment for possession of ammunition. 

THE CRIMES

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana says between 2016 and 2019, Mashilo used the same modus operandi where he would break into the complainants’ houses, rob them of their belongings and rape females in those houses. "During this period he broke into 17 households late at night, around block P in Soshanguve. He sometimes raped his victims in the presence of their children and the oldest of his victims was an 80-year-old woman," she said. Mahanjana said that Mashilo was arrested on 13 July 2019 in Hammanskraal after a case of attempted murder was opened against him.

NOT REMORSEFUL

In court, Mashilo pleaded guilty to all the charges against him and asked the court through his legal representative to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence because he had been in custody since his arrest. Mashilo’s legal representative told the court that he was a first-time offender and did not waste the court’s time by pleading guilty. Prosecutor Advocate Thembile Nyakama, handed in eight victim impact statements where the victims expressed how the incidents emotionally, mentally, and financially impacted them. Nyakama further told the court that Mashilo earned his living by committing these offences and that even though he pleaded guilty, he did not show any remorse because he did not apologise to his victims through his lawyers. "Nyakama told the court that there are no substantial and compelling circumstances and when sentencing Mashilo, the court should send a clear message that there is no room for criminals in our society," Mahanjana said. When handing down the sentence, the judge agreed with the state that Mashilo showed lack of remorse and did not appreciate the gravity of his actions. "More so, Mashilo was known to some of his victims, therefore betraying their trust. It was found that there were no compelling and substantial circumstances to deviate from the prescribed sentence," she said. The judge also ordered that Mashilo’s name be added to the National Register for Sexual Offenders.