| 2024/04/05 |
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Media Statement
POTCHEFSTROOM – The Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena and the Director for Public Prosecutions in North West, Dr Rachel Makhari welcomed two sentences handed down to two accused by the Lichtenburg and Itsoseng Regional Courts recently. In Itsoseng, the Regional Court sentenced a 33-year-old accused to life imprisonment on Wednesday, 27 March 2024, for the rape of a 15-year-old girl. According to evidence led in court, the girl was walking home with a friend at Verdwaal village, near Itsoseng on Sunday evening, 28 December 2014, when she met the accused who is her relative. The latter grabbed and asked the girl if she did not see his girlfriend. Upon being told that his girlfriend went to Springbokpan village, the accused forced the minor to go and show him where his girlfriend was. The accused who was carrying a knob-kerrie, consequently took out a gun, threatened the girl and raped her in the maize field. Although the victim was warned and threatened not to disclose the incident to anyone, she ran home to inform her mother. The matter was reported to the police who was successfully traced and arrested the accused in March 2015, in Itsoseng. The court ordered that the accused’s name be put in the National Register for Sex Offenders. He was further declared unfit to work with children. In Lichtenburg, the Regional Court sentenced a 23-year-old accused to 15 years imprisonment, on Wednesday, 3 April 2024, for raping a 15-year-old minor on Saturday, 14 January 2023, at Coligny. It was reported that the minor who is a cousin to the accused, was walking from town to Scotland informal settlement. The minor met the accused who volunteered to accompany her. They were walking in the maize field when the accused grabbed, undressed, raped the victim and stabbed her with a knife. According to reports, the victim was assisted by passers-by who heard her screaming and managed to restrain the accused and called the police. The accused who was declared unfit to possess a firearm in terms of Section 103 of the Firearms Control Act, 2000 (Act No. 60 of 2000), has been in custody since his arrest.
Lieutenant General Sello Kwena and Dr Rachel Makhari applauded the Investigating Officer, Constable Tsekiso Tau of Lichtenburg Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit for good investigative work and collaborative efforts with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) including Advocate Itumeleng Boikanyo to secure the convictions on crimes against women and children. Members of the community were also commended for their cooperation and bravery that resulted in one of the arrests.
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