A George child predator was on Tuesday sentenced to three life terms and 210 years' direct imprisonment in the Western Cape High Court sitting in George after he entered a plea agreement for eight counts of rape, five of abduction and three of aggravated robbery.
Ivan Johannes, 21, admitted to preying on children – mostly boys – between January 2015 and August 2016, targeting his young victims at a play park in Zone 1, Thembalethu.
Advocate Evadne Kortje during aggravation arguments said the minors were raped in broad daylight not far from the park.
His victims were predominantly boys, but also included one girl.
The children were aged between seven and 13.
"He approached them mostly while they were with friends and lured them under the false pretence of assisting him with his bicycle or looking for lost money. He grabbed others while they were playing on the swings, threatened them with a knife and violence and dragged them into the bush where raped them. He even forced some of the children to sexually assault each other," Kortje said.
"Some were robbed of their possessions including earrings, school bags and sneakers. The accused was inevitably apprehended because of the forensic analysis of the Forensic Science Laboratory, the biology unit, who identified the accused as the male person who preyed on the defenceless victims."
Johannes had three previous convictions of rape and assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm. These victims were only six and seven years old, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Western Cape spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said.
"The NPA welcomes the sentence as the charges against this accused are very serious. This case also highlights the need to continuously teach children against speaking to strangers or accepting offers from strangers as not all of them have good intentions."