Suspect sentenced to 30 years for rape and murder
The acting provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Maj Gen Jan Scheepers, has welcomed the hefty sentences handed down by the Limpopo Division of the High Court in Polokwane against a 43-year-old man on Wednesday, March 23 after he was convicted of raping two minor children and murdering one of them.
In the first incident, the court found that on April 18, 2008, the accused (who cannot be named to protect the identity of the surviving child) met a six-year-old girl at Nkambako village near Ritavi outside Tzaneen while walking from school. He grabbed her, strangled her, and dragged her into the yard of the local church where he raped her.
Afterward, he released the victim who managed to run to a nearby house to seek help. The accused was chased down and caught by members of the community who handed him over to the local police. After numerous court appearances, the man was granted bail. While out on bail, he continued his criminal activities.
Also read: Man sentenced to 35 years for murder
In January of 2016, the accused raped and killed another child aged 10 at Mohlaba Cross also in Ritavi. Sgt Laura Sithole, attached to the Tzaneen Family Violence and Child Protection Unit (FCS), investigated the incident and due to her determination and hard work, the accused was apprehended a few days later. He was not granted bail again.
The accused was sentenced to 25 years of which five years were suspended for murder on the condition he is not found guilty on a similar charge. On the rape charges, he has been sentenced to twenty years on each charge. On the last rape charge, ten years were suspended on the condition he is not found guilty on a similar charge. The sentencing of the rape and murder charges will run concurrently.
The accused will therefore serve an effective 30 years in prison. “These sentences are indicative of the fact that violence perpetrated against the vulnerable members of the society will not be tolerated, especially women and children. The meticulous investigation conducted by Sgt Laura Sithole of the FCS in Tzaneen is highly commendable,” said Scheepers.
