Nelspruit: The hard work by police has paid off as a hefty sentence was handed down by the Nkomazi Regional Court in Boschfontein on Wednesday, 29 June 2022 to Thabiso Mathebula, aged 29 for rape and house breaking.

On 16 February 2019 during the night, Mathebula who was 27-years-old at that time, broke into a certain house at Naas and found a woman (then aged 57) asleep.

According to the victim (who is now 60), she was woken up by a large bang at the door, before she knew it, Mathebula got inside and pointed her with a knife. He then pushed and pinned her down on the floor and then raped her.

The incident was then reported to the police where a case of rape with an additional charge of house breaking was opened at Tonga SAPS. The members worked tirelessly on the case and arrested him a year later after a thorough investigation where he was linked through DNA evidence.

He was trailed and convicted on the said charges. He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for rape and three years for house breaking. The court ordered that both sentences should concurrently.

The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has applauded the collaborative effort by the detective team, the prosecution and the judiciary which culminated into the well-deserved sentence. "Perpetrators of gender-based-violence have no space in our society and we hope that the sentence will serve as a deterrence to others who might consider emulating the actions of the accused" said the General.

Source: South African Police Service