POLOKWANE – In a statement released, Police spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe says Mamabolo terrorised female students, aged between 20 and 30, that were residing at the rooms rented outside the campus of the University of Limpopo.
Read more: Man (33) convicted for rape of several Mankweng students
“The accused gained access through the windows in the early hours of the morning and viciously attack his female victims while they were sleeping. He threatened the women with a firearm, assaulted and robbed them of valuables such as laptops, cellphones and cash.”
One of these students was attacked by the accused on 2 February at about 04:30. “He pointed her with a firearm and raped her repeatedly. Afterwards, he robbed the traumatised woman of two laptops, cellphone and cash amount of money,” he explains in the statement.
Mamabolo was arrested on 4 February 2017, at Ga-Motholo village outside Mankweng. This after the Provincial Investigations Unit led by Captain Madumetja Cuthbert Mogale, took over the investigations of all these cases and started with the intensive probe.
“This unit joined by the Crime Intelligence Unit, followed the suspect’s tracks until he was arrested outside Mankweng. During the arrest, some of the victims’ laptops and cellphones were found in his possession. The police also recovered a state firearm that was used during the commission of these crimes. The investigations further revealed that this firearm was stolen during a house breaking that was committed on 25 July 2014, at Ga-Mamabolo village outside Mankweng. The accused broke into the house belonging to a police officer while the family was out, damaged the safe and stole a 9mm pistol with 30 rounds.”
On Wednesday 12 June he appeared before the Polokwane High Court where he was sentenced to life imprisonment for rape, 15 years for house breaking with intent to steal and house breaking with intent to rob, 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances and 10 years imprisonment for unlawful possession of firearm, ammunition and possession of suspected stolen properties.
The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba, has welcomed the harsh sentence imposed on this hard core criminal. “This outcome is indicative of the relentless work done by the Detectives and the Crime Intelligence Unit whom we applaud. We hope that sentences such as these, will bring a closure to all the victims of these heinous acts and will definitely send out a strong message to the community that the police will stop at nothing until all criminals are brought to the book, “concluded General Ledwaba.
