Man who robbed and raped ex-schoolmate sentenced to life

A 24-year-old Free State man who repeatedly raped a former schoolmate and robbed her thought his alibi would spare him from justice; however, he has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Pule Richard Motseu from Phahong Bultfontein, near the mining town of Welkom, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Bultfontein Regional Court after he was convicted of rape and aggravated robbery.

His sentencing stems from an incident on 28 May 2023, when the victim, a 22-year-old woman, was walking with her friend to a tavern at around 10pm.

Rape’s traumatic ordeal

Motseu accosted the women at gunpoint and demanded their cellphone and money. While he was robbing the women, the friend managed to run away, but the victim wasn’t as lucky.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson, Mojalefa Senokoatsane, said after the victim was robbed of her phone, Motseu dragged her into the yard of a nearby abandoned house and raped her.

“He further dragged her into the outside toilet of the same house and raped her again. He continued to rape the victim numerous times before leaving her in that abandoned house,” Senokoatsane said.

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After the traumatic ordeal, the victim left the house and told her friend what happened. The following morning, she reported the matter to the police, and she was able to identify Motseu because they attended the same school.

Motseu was arrested, and after his bail was denied, he remained in custody until the end of his case.

Senokoatsane said that during the trial, the accused raised an alibi, claiming that he was not in the area when the incident happened as he was at his sister’s workplace on the farm near Welkom.

Accused’s alibi rejected

The rapist also admitted to attending the same school mentioned by the victim, but he denied knowing her or recognising her. 

“As there was no DNA evidence, the court accepted the evidence of the victim regarding the identity of the accused and rejected his alibi,” Senokoatsane said.

Motseu was found guilty as charged, and the court sentenced him to undergo life imprisonment for rape and 15 years imprisonment for armed robbery. The court also ordered that the name of the accused be registered in the National Register of Sex Offenders.

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“The National Prosecuting Authority trusts successful prosecutions of these GBVF [Gender-Based Violence and Femicide] cases will provide some justice and closure to the victims and their families and remove violent criminals from our streets,” Senokoatsane said.