When Sergeant Johnson Motlalepula Nkoana started out as a policeman in 2005, his first case statement was one which would set him on a path to bring rapists to justice.
An eight year old who had been raped, was the first of 10 rape cases he would open over the next two years involving children between the ages of eight and 13. It pushed him into collecting all rape dockets which showed a similar modus operandi – about 60 of them.
Nkoana’s diligence and determination led to him tracking down serial rapist Sifiso Makhubo, who raped more than 50 children around Thokoza, Katlehong and Vosloorus. Makhubo committed suicide before he could be brough to justice, however.
Nkoana’s latest success was in seeing serial rapist Thabani Victor Zondo being sentenced last week to six life jail terms for offences including rape and armed robbery.
This cop is one of those who does honour to the profession and proves that there are still people in the SA Police Service who take gender-based violence (GBV) seriously. We need more like him, because GBV is the biggest human rights violation in South Africa. We salute Sergeant Nkoana and all the other dedicated cops like him.
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