Margate man Bulelani Jula was given two life sentences for raping and strangling a seven-year-old girl.
|||Pietermaritzburg - Margate man Bulelani Jula was given two life sentences by the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Wednesday for raping and strangling a seven-year-old girl.
He got a further 15 years' in jail for raping a 60-year-old woman.
Acting Judge Thoba Poya-Dlwati said that if the 25-year-old had been arrested soon after raping the woman in May, the little girl would still be alive. The girl was attacked on June 15 in broad daylight. She weighed 26kg.
Jula admitted he used vetkoek to lure the girl away from two friends and into a bush. He told her to undress, but she started crying. He strangled her while he raped her.
Prosecutor Denardo MacDonald said she must have resisted, as the post-mortem report indicated injuries to her genitals, arms, neck, and body.
Jula had two previous convictions for housebreaking and theft. He raped the elderly woman soon after being released early on parole.
Jula's counsel Ishy Khan asked for a more lenient sentence, as he was young and had prospects for rehabilitation.
Poya-Dlwati said she did not believe he had such prospects. - Sapa