LIMPOPO – A 45-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for a 2017 incident in which he attacked and raped his relative, a 67-year-old woman.
Police spokesperson Brig Motlafela Mojapelo said the hefty sentence follows and incident that occurred in Villa Nora outside Lephalale on 11 November.
He explained that on the morning of the incident the accused, a relative of the elderly woman, had gone to the victim’s house at around 03:00 to fetch her after the passing of a family member. “On the way to a place in the same area, the accused grabbed the elderly woman and dragged her under the bridge and raped her.
“In an attempt to cover the heinous crime, the accused thereafter forced the victim to the nearby mountain where he attempted to kill her by hanging.”
The elderly woman managed to escape and seek help from the community members and a case of rape was opened at the local police station, he added.
“The case was assigned to detective WO Sophie Mantwa Malapile from the Lephalale Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual offences (FCS) unit. The suspect was arrested few days later, following an intelligence-driven joint operation by detectives and members of the Crime Intelligence unit.”
Mojapelo said the investigating officer worked diligently and ensured the accused was kept in custody until he was sentenced in the regional court in Lephalale on Thursday (August 26).
The provincial police commissioner, Lt Genl Thembi Hadebe welcomed the sentence and stressed that perpetrators of sexual violence against the vulnerable, particularly elderly women, should have no place in the society.
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