South African serial child rapist given 28 life sentences and another 538 years

Peter Dashboy Khaza raped over 20 children in Tembisa and Olifantsfontein over a period of 4 years. According to the indictment, his victims were as young as 9. He would tie them up, use some form of lubrication which he would rub on their genitals before raping them. 

Judge Eben Jordaan of the Johannesburg High Court on Monday April 4 sentenced Khoza to 28 life sentences for each of the rapes he committed over a four-year period. The 46-year-old was sentenced to another 538 years behind bars for his other crimes‚ including kidnapping and assaulting the children he raped and others.

He was convicted of 28 counts of rape and two of attempted rape‚ 45 of kidnapping‚ 17 of assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm‚ nine of common assault‚ 18 of sexual assault‚ 16 of compelling a child to witness a sexual offence and four of theft.

The offences were committed between 2007 and 2013 in the areas south of Pretoria. Khoza would lure girls as young as nine years old into the bushes where he would tie them up and rape some of the children.The state alleges that in cases where he kidnapped more than one child, Khoza would rape one and force the other to watch. He also raped one of his victims, an 11-year-old , in front of her two-year-old brother. He would also on occasion take some of his victims' belongings including groceries and money.

He faced 152 charges but Jordaan found him not guilty on 13 charges‚ which included kidnapping‚ common‚ assault and theft. In addition to the life sentences‚ Jordaan sentenced Khoza to:

• 12 years in prison for each of the two counts of attempted rape;
• 10 years for each of the 17 counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm;
• Five years for each of the 45 counts of kidnapping;
• Five years for each of the 18 counts of sexual assault;
• One year for each of the nine counts of common assault;
• One year for each of the 16 counts of compelling a child to witness a sexual assault; and
• One year for each of the four counts of theft.

All the sentences will run concurrently.

Jordaan also ordered that Khoza’s name be included in the National Register for Sex Offenders.

"The accused is a serial rapist. Even if he is released in his sixties‚ he will be a danger to society‚" Jordaan said.

Jordaan said Khoza’s actions could be described as "horrible and unacceptable".

He said the children Khoza had raped were traumatised and became hysterical when they saw him in court.

Family members and friends of Khoza's victims clapped their hands and cheered after the judge delivered his sentence.

"Goodbye celebrity‚" one woman said while waving at Khoza as he was ushered into the police cells.

The mother of Khoza's last victim‚ a girl who helped to identify him in order to be arrested‚ said she was pleased with the sentence.

"My daughter still gets nightmares about this man. She cannot socialise with other children‚" the woman said. "She does not trust men anymore. I also cannot even get romantically involved with a man because I am scared for my daughter."