The North West National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Henry Mamothame, disclosed that Johannes Jojo Shabangu fell ill and collapsed in the holding cells of the Ga-Rankuwa Regional Court. This, after pleading guilty to 14 charges of rape and 11 of robbery with aggravating circumstances. 

Mamothame explained that Shabangu was on trial in the High Court in North West at the time of his death.

He said the suspect fell ill and collapsed in the holding cells while the court was in recess. The incident took place subsequent to Judge André Peterson receiving his guilty plea statement and subsequently found him guilty on all charges, in accordance with his plea.

Johannes Jojo Shabangu, 35, who pleaded guilty to 14 counts of rape and 11 of robbery with aggravating circumstances, fell ill collapsed and died in a holding cell during court recess in the Ga-Rankuwa Regional Court on Thursday.. pic.twitter.com/nlryJEvBRM

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“The case was set for Victim Impact Statements to be read in court before sentencing could be imposed, but it was rolled over to Thursday (3/8) for him to receive medical attention. It emerged in court that Shabangu was declared dead by the paramedics and a declaration certificate was presented to Judge Peterson,” he said.

Peterson ordered for an inquest docket to be registered, to determine the cause of death.

Following the death of Shabangu, Mamothame further explained that Peterson declared proceedings as finalised and then ordered for the death certificate to be filed with the registrar of the High Court. He said Peterson further ordered for an inquest docket to be registered, to determine the cause of death.

The deceased's court appearance emanates from incidents that took place in Winterveldt between July 2012 and December 2019, wherein he, together with unknown accomplices, raped and robbed multiple women of their properties. It was reported that the evidence contained in the indictment indicates that in some instances, Shabangu, together with his accomplices, would confront couples coming from places of leisure in the evenings, threaten them with a firearm, beat up the boyfriends, rob them of their belongings and subsequently take turns to rape the female victims.

Mamothame said the youngest victim was 14 years of age.

In some instances, the deceased and his accomplices would break into homes and apply the same modus operandi. While in other instances, they would accost a group of women and rob them before picking one of them to rape. Mamothame said the youngest victim was 14 years of age and her ordeal took place in June 2015.

"In his guilty plea statement, which was read by his attorney, he took responsibility for all the charges he was facing and asked for forgiveness from his victims," he concluded.

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