Ananias Mathe a South African tragedy

Mathe, a 33-year-old Mozambican, beganhis criminal reign of terror in 1999 when he began by
violentlytaking goods from people's homes. He first raped a woman in June2003, a 19-year-old
Johannesburg resident. He was arrested andmysteriously released, to continue his criminal
activities.
He was arrested again in April 2004 inPretoria and after appearing in court was released on bail of
R500(less than US$100). In January 2005 he raped another woman inJohannesburg, was arrested
again, and this time escaped from a policehigh risk facility.
Mathe was arrested again in November2005 in connection with yet another rape. He was then
detained in thehigh-security C-Max prison in Pretoria, but again managed to escape,apparently with
inside help.
He was again arrested in December 2006when he was found driving a stolen car.
Mathe was charged with a total of 64counts, including seven of rape, four of attempted murder, 28
ofhousebreaking, two charges of escaping from custody, and additionalcounts of being in unlawful
possession of a firearm and ammunition,theft and attempted theft. He was also charged with the
killing of 11dogs.
He was sentenced by Judge Borchers to atotal of 455 years in jail, with many of the sentences
runningconcurrently. In passing sentence the judge said, It is my viewthat the court should not
impose hundreds of years because no humanbeing can live long enough to serve such sentences, and
this makes amockery of the justice system.
Because Mathe was regarded as such ahigh escape risk he was taken from the court by helicopter to
fetchhis belongings in Pretoria's C-Max before being flown in a charteredplane to his new prison
home in Kokstad.
In Kokstad Maximum Security PrisonMathe will be under 24-hour guard. He will only be eligible
forparole after 43 years, by which time he will be 76, and presumably nolonger a threat to society.