The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela is delighted over hive of activities in relation to suspects of Gender-Based-Violence who appeared before various courts across the province in the past week.
On Wednesday, 15 September 2021 a 40-year-old man was convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment by the Delmas Magistrate’s Court for attempted rape of his four year old niece living with a disability. The incident is said to have occurred on 10 February 2020.
The court sentenced him after hearing that on the said day, the young girl was left in her grandmother’s care as her mom was going to work night-shift. The uncle attempted to rape the girl but was disturbed when the mother returned from work. The girl’s mother was terrified when she met the accused rushing out of the room where the girl was sleeping. He looked suspicious as he was trying to wear his trousers properly but without saying a word, he fled and never returned home ever since.
The mother, out of concern decided to take the child to a medical facility for examination. The matter was then reported to police at Delmas and a case opened accordingly. The case was then assigned to Witbank Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit for investigation. The suspect was sought and arrested hence his conviction and sentence.
Meanwhile, two men appeared before Nkomazi Magistrate’s Court on allegations of murdering an SANDF female officer recently. It came as a shock when Nondumiso Nicollin Mabila’s husband was among the two that are fingered in the murder incident whereby the official was stabbed to death. The incident occurred on 09 September 2021 at Tonga. The police at Tonga worked around the clock to ensure that those responsible for the murder are brought to book.
The two suspects, Ndumiso Mabila, aged 31 and Thabo Mambane, aged 21 were remanded in custody during their court appearance and will appear again before the same court for a formal bail application on 27 September 2021.
On the other hand, a 23-year-old man suspected to be behind rape and robbery incidents in Nkomazi abandoned his bail application when he made his second appearance before the Matsulu Periodical Court on Monday, 13 September 2021. His case was postponed to 11 November 2021.
The three highlighted incidents, amongst others are an indication of the commitment and dedication of the foot soldiers to reinforce safety for the communities. The Provincial Commissioner further applauded the effort made by SAPS members throughout the province, working in partnership with other stakeholders such as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
Source: South African Police Service