Mecklenburg serial rapist sentenced
All these cases were assigned to Det Sgt Mamodishi Rachel Letlapa of Burgersfort Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit. Consequent to a thorough and diligent investigation, Masete was arrested and positively linked to all three incidents.
MECKLENBURG – The Limpopo Division of the High Court in Polokwane sentenced Chrishani Masete (30) to life imprisonment for rape on Monday.
Masete was also sentenced to an additional 20 years’ imprisonment for two separate incidents of rape that took place in the Mecklenburg policing area outside Burgersfort.
“The first incident happened on September 2, 2017 at about 20:00. A 23-year-old woman and the accused were on their way to catch a taxi when the accused started to assault her, forcing her to the nearby village. He then raped her.
“In another unrelated incident that occurred on December 30, 2017, a 16-year-old girl was walking home with her friends when she met the accused who then forced her to the nearby bushes and raped her. “In the last incident that occurred on December 2, 2018 at about 17:30, a 15-year-old girl was in the veld when the accused dragged her to his home and raped her,” said Limpopo SAPS spokesman, Brig Motlafelo Mojapelo. All these cases were assigned to Det Sgt Mamodishi Rachel Letlapa of Burgersfort Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit.
Consequent to a thorough and diligent investigation, Masete was arrested and positively linked to all three incidents.
He was found guilty and sentenced to life for the rape of a 15-year-old girl and 10 years’ imprisonment each on the other two cases.
The accused was further declared unfit to possess a firearm. Provincial commissioner of SAPS Limpopo, Lt Gen Thembi Hadebe, has hailed the investigating officer for the exceptional work and has reiterated that SAPS will ensure that perpetrators of gender-based violence and femicide are brought to book and justice is served for the victims.
