A Khayelitsha traditional dance teacher will effectively serve three life terms for raping seven girls after dance classes.
|||Cape Town - A Khayelitsha traditional dance teacher will effectively serve three life terms for raping seven young girls after dance classes about two years ago.
Western Cape High Court Judge Nonkosi Saba sentenced Lawrence Gagu, 49, to life in prison for each of the seven counts of rape.
A further four and five years respectively were imposed for charges of sexual grooming and showing pornography to children.
Judge Saba ordered that some of the life terms run concurrently, as she grouped the counts according to the number of times the girls were raped.
Some of the girls, aged between seven and 12, were raped once, twice and thrice. One of Gagu’s victims was raped 12 times.
Between June 2009 and March 2010, the girls were lured to his Makhaza shack in pairs after dance practice under the guise of helping him with household chores. While one of the girls fetched water, the other would stay behind, and Gagu would rape her. He had washed the girls after the rapes and threatened them at knife-point that they must keep quiet or he would kill their parents.
“Rape is one of the most serious crimes… the exacerbating factors are that these crimes were committed repeatedly on young, vulnerable and unsuspecting children. The accused planned these crimes very well. The children obeyed him because they trusted him,” Judge Saba said.
He said the fact the case was heard in the Khayelitsha Regional Court – so the community could attend – was a “blessing in disguise”.
“This case was heard in Khayelitsha so they (the community) can have insight into what transpired and it will serve as a wake-up call for them to be more vigilant, particularly regarding the supervision of children,” he said.
Judge Saba found there were no substantial or compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment for the rape of a minor.
“I’ve tried to look for such substantial and compelling circumstances but I’ve been unable to find any.
“In my view, he Gagu is a danger to society and there is an urgent need to remove him from society for a long time.”
After the sentencing, dozens of residents and Sonke Gender Justice Network members sang and danced outside the court. The organisation’s Aviwe Mtibe said they were pleased with the sentence.
jade.witten@inl.co.za
Cape Argus