| 2024/03/09 |
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Media Statement
POLOKWANE – The Regional Court in Giyani on Friday, 08 March 2024, sentenced a 34-year-old man to three life terms for raping three young girls in Giyani, in 2020 and 2021. Cliff Chauke, 34, has been found guilty on three counts of rape. The first incident took place in February 2020, when Chauke found young girls playing on the street and grabbed two of them aged 10 and 12. He then threatened them with a knife and forced them to the nearby bushes where he raped both of them The accused was arrested but later granted bail, pending DNA results. The court heard that the accused in November 2021, raped another young girl aged 14, using the same modus operandi. He met three girls on the street and grabbed one. He then forced the victim to his house while threatening her with a knife and raped her. The child was only released late in the evening. All the cases were assigned to Detective Sergeant Conny Mabunda attached to Giyani family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offenses Unit. The accused was apprehended in December 2021, following an extensive investigation that included forensic evidence. The investigating officers successfully opposed bail, and the accused was kept in custody until he was ultimately convicted and sentenced on Friday.
The Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe welcomed the sentence and praised the investigating officer for her diligent work, which ensured that Chauke was convicted. “Harsh and hefty sentences shall serve as deterrent to perpetrators of crimes against women and children,” concluded Lieutenant General Hadebe.
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