POTCHEFSTROOM – The Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, congratulated the Brits Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit for securing another two life sentences in one week. This is after the North Gauteng High Court sitting in Pretoria sentenced two accused, aged 27 and 32, to life imprisonment each on Friday, 4 March 2022.

The sentencing came after the accused gang raped the then 14-year-old minor in the early hours of Wednesday morning, 25 December 2019, at Letlhabile near Brits.

It was reported during the court proceedings that the minor victim and her male friend were walking home at about 04:00 after attending a music festival when confronted by four suspicious males. One of the males, grabbed the victim and took her to nearby bushes, where he and one of his companions took turns in raping her. They then compelled the victim’s male friend to rape her. Upon realising that the friend was only pretending to be raping his friend, the accused assaulted him until he acted as if he was unconscious.  The two accused then continued to rape the victim. The third male, aged 26, left the scene with the victim’s cellphone. The accused further robbed other festival attendees of their valuables including cellphones.

One of the victims saw the police who were on patrol and informed them about the robbery and identified the 26-year-old male as the suspect.  As a result, the suspect was arrested while the initial gang rape suspects were apprehended later the same day and found in possession of items reported stolen by the victims. Subsequent to investigations into the robbery as well as the rape of the minor, the three accused were also found in possession of the minor victim’s cellphone and clothes.  Moreover, the two accused, aged 27 and 32, were linked to the rape through the DNA results.  Meanwhile, one of the four accused was eventually released as he could not be linked with the crimes.

The three accused were sentenced as follows:

26-year-old accused:

One count of common robbery: 15 years imprisonment

Two accused persons aged 27 and 32:

One count of kidnapping: two years imprisonment each One count of armed robbery: 15 years imprisonment each

One count of attempted compelled rape: 10 years imprisonment each

One count of assault: five years each

One count of rape: life imprisonment each

The Provincial Commissioner congratulated the Brits Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit for displaying commitment in the fight against Gender Based Violence by ensuring that maximum jail terms are imposed on the two accused which he said it is worth noting considering that the same unit secured these life sentences two days after Lucky Mathabatha (45) was sentenced to life by the High Court sitting in Palm Ridge on Wednesday, 2 March 2022.

Source: South African Police Service