Mpumalanga Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, has welcomed the arrest of a 23-year-old man suspected to be behind rape and robbery incidents that recently occurred at Nkomazi area in the Ehlanzeni District.

In a statement, provincial SAPS spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli, said the suspect was cornered at Matsulu by members of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) in Pienaar. He was also charged on immigration charges and appeared before the Kabokweni Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

He said: “According to the information at police disposal, defenceless women were allegedly raped as well as robbed of their personal belongings between April 2021 and August 2021 at both Matsulu and Kaapmuiden near Malelane. There were cases opened to that regard and the FCS Unit was assigned to probe as well as ensure that the perpetrator is swiftly brought to book”.

Mdhluli said the FCS team were hard at work to apprehend the suspect when it emerged about a suspicious illegal immigrant who was roaming around the streets of Matsulu.

The details were then followed up and the SAPS members arrested him in the early hours of Thursday, he said.

“During the tour of their investigation, the FCS team discovered that he is a suspect that they have been looking for, for quite some time. Then in the afternoon of yesterday, Saturday, 04 August 2021, he was charged on four counts of rape and three counts of robbery.

“At the place where the suspect was arrested, police also found some items belonging to females which they (police) now suspect that the items could be that of his victims. The SAPS cannot rule out possibility of linking the man to several cases reported where women became victims of violent crimes,” he said.

The suspect was today expected to appear before the Matsulu Periodical Court on charges relating to the said incidents of robberies and rapes.

Manamela in the statement further urged those who fell victims of violent crimes in the past but never reported such cases to come forward and report at their nearest police stations.

The General also appreciated the public for the information they provided as well as the swift reaction by members from FCS which led to the breakthrough and the suspect’s arrest.

She concluded by highlighting that her vision of working towards eradicating Gender-Based-Violence in the province is beginning to show some positive results.

Source: South African Government News Agency