NORTHERN CAPE – The Northern Cape Provincial Head for FCS, Brigadier Nicky Mills, applauded Constable Keitshwaretswe Schoeman for excellent investigative work which resulted in the imprisonment of Thabo Mokgosi (33). Thabo has been found guilty as charged by the Kuruman Regional Court on three counts, rape, kidnapping, house breaking and theft.

On 18 January 2020, Thabo was in the company of the victim and her boyfriend in Bankhara village near Kuruman.

They were seated together when Thabo gave the victim’s boyfriend R15-00 to buy home brewed beer.

At approximately 21:45, he came back and stormed into the residence of the victim and her boyfriend, demanding his R15-00. The victim’s boyfriend refused him entry into their house. He forced his way into the house and grabbed the victim out of her bed and dragged her outside. He had a steel pipe in his hand, which he threatened to kill the victim’s boyfriend with should he try to rescue the victim.

Thabo dragged the victim to his house where he kept her the entire night and raped her repeatedly.

The victim broke free in the early hours of 19 January 2020 and reported the incident to the police. Thabo was arrested immediately, and the investigating officer successfully opposed bail.

He was kept in police custody until the finalisation of the trial.

On Wednesday, 04 May 2022 he was found guilty and sentenced as follows; 15 years imprisonment on a count of rape, 3 years imprisonment on count of kidnapping, 3 years imprisonment on count  of house breaking and theft.

The Kuruman Regional Court, declared Thabo unfit to possess a firearm and ordered that his name to be registered in National Sexual Offenders Register.

Source: South African Police Service