Child rapist sentenced to 25 years in jail after ‘reign of terror’

A 36-year-old child rapist has been sentenced to an effective 25 years in jail for five counts of rape, two counts of business robbery and one count of common robbery.

Sello Lefoane appeared in the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane on Tuesday where his sentence was handed down.

Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said Lefoane committed the crimes in Vaalwater and Lephalale in the Waterberg district between 2007 and 2016 respectively.

Crimes

“The rapist’s victims were aged between 13 and 29, and the accused targeted his victims while walking alone and threatened them with a knife. In another incident, he also used a firearm.

“Lefoane’s reign of terror commenced in 2015 when he raped a 14-year-old girl who was returning from the local shop. He threatened her with a knife and dragged her to his house. He was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment,” Ledwaba said.

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Ledwaba added that during the same period, he raped a 15-year-old girl in the bushes using the same modus operandi. He had waylaid her when she was coming from school.

“The third incident occurred in Lephalale, where he threatened a 29-year-old woman with a firearm and knife, forced her into the bushes, and raped her. He then robbed her of cash and two cell phones.

“The accused was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for raping a 15-year-old girl in Vaalwater during 2016. He was also sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for raping a 13-year-old girl in Vaalwater while collecting berries in the nearby bushes,” Ledwaba added.

In addition to the rape charges, Lefoane was convicted of two counts of burglary that took place separately in Vaalwater between 2007 and 2008.

Arrest

Lefoane was arrested in August 2022 through DNA, after a lengthy and meticulous investigation carried out by Warrant Officer Ciska Kruger attached to the Modimolle Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit, who also successfully opposed bail.

The court ordered all the sentences to run concurrently.

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