Eastern Cape serial rapist gets two life terms and 86 years in jail

Serial rapist Athenkosi Matyaleni, 23, was on Thursday sentenced to a hefty two life terms and an additional 86 years imprisonment for raping and robbing four women and a child in Molteno.

It emerged this week that Matyaleni, whom the indictment said was 26-year-old, was in fact just 23, meaning his first rape was committed shortly after he turned 19.

Grahamstown high court judge Thami Beshe did not find his relative youth to be a substantial and compelling factor which would have warranted a lesser sentence than that prescribed by law.

“He has shown no insight into the gravity or the consequences of his actions. I have no option but to conclude he poses a serious danger to society especially to women and girl children,” she said.

DispatchLive