A 34-year-old Zimbabwean man received a severe sentence from the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday, being handed three life sentences and an additional 226 years behind bars.

This harsh judgment came after he was found guilty on 26 counts, encompassing crimes such as rape, murder, illegal migration, kidnapping, housebreaking, jailbreak, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and robbery.

Lumka Mahanjana, spokesperson for the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) in the Gauteng Division, confirmed the sentencing. The man, identified as Leonard Lemmy Chauke, had been apprehended after escaping from prison in 2020 while serving a 15-year sentence for housebreaking and robbery.

“Leonard Lemmy Chauke (34), hailing from Olievenhoutbosch and an illegal migrant from Zimbabwe, was sentenced by the Pretoria High Court to three life terms for two counts of rape and murder,” Mahanjana stated.

“Additionally, he was given 80 years of direct imprisonment for four counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, 90 years for six counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, and 15 years each for five counts of housebreaking and three counts of kidnapping.”

ZiMetro