Bethuel Lesetja Makgetha, a 50-year-old creative arts teacher, has been sentenced to five life terms by the Thembisa Magistrate’s Court in South Africa for repeatedly raping a 13-year-old grade seven pupil in 2019.
Makgetha manipulated the East Rand student into staying after school and sexually assaulted her multiple times in October 2019. He threatened her with academic consequences if she spoke out.
“Unbeknown to the learner’s mother, who thought he was helping her daughter by escorting her home, Makgetha’s true intentions were sinister,” said Phindi Mjonondwane, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
The crime was discovered when the girl’s mother, a trained virginity tester, noticed changes in her daughter’s body. After confronting her, the girl revealed the truth, leading to Makgetha’s arrest.
“This sentence reflects the seriousness of the justice system in dealing with cases of gender-based violence and marks the end of the culmination of years of painstaking investigative and prosecutorial work by Sgt Jacky Baloyi and prosecutor Adele Erasmus,” Mjonondwane added.
