Africa-Press – South-Africa. Two men have been sentenced for raping three children and a woman in separate incidents in North West.
In the first case, two teenagers and a 22-year-old woman were raped and robbed. Two of the victims were raped within a 30-minute period in separate locations.
According to North West police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda Funani, in the first incident, a 15-year-old girl and her boyfriend were walking to a shop in Pitso Section, Phokeng, outside Rustenburg on 5 January 2021 at about 20:00 when the man approached them.
“The [man] chased and forced the boyfriend to leave by throwing stones at him. The girl was consequently taken to nearby bushes and raped,” she said.
After escaping, on her way back home, the girl met her boyfriend and her aunt, who took her to Phokeng police station to lay charges of rape and common robbery.
The second incident happened on the evening of 13 January at about 19:00. A 22-year-old woman was walking from her aunt’s home in Kotokoto Section in Phokeng to her own home in Lenatong Section when the man approached her and volunteered to accompany her as he was also going to the same area.
Funani said they were about to cross a bridge when the man grabbed and dragged the woman to nearby bushes and raped her.
He then robbed her of her cellphone and clothes before fleeing the scene. The matter was reported to the police.
In the third incident, which occurred in Lemenong Section 30 minutes after the second incident, the man approached a 14-year-old girl who was on her way home.
“He wanted to know if she was not afraid of walking alone and ultimately dragged her to the bushes and raped her,” Funani added.
He then robbed her of her cellphone and clothes.
The victim ran to Phokeng police station, where she reported the incident, and found the 22-year-old woman from the second incident.
Police officers and security guards, with the assistance of residents, searched for the suspect in Lenatong Section. He was found and had the victims’ clothes in his possession.
“He was arrested and eventually identified by the 15-year-old victim, who he had raped on Tuesday, 5 January 2021,” said Funani.
The man was sentenced to two life sentences and additional 28 years’ imprisonment in the Bafokeng Regional Court in Tlhabane on Wednesday.
In an unrelated incident, a 35-year-old Boitekong man was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment in the Bafokeng Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday for raping his 10-year-old stepdaughter.
The court heard that the man and his wife were at their home in Boitekong on Saturday, 21 December 2019 when he sent the wife to the tavern to buy more alcohol.
He then went to the room where the stepdaughter was sleeping and raped her.
According to the police, the girl informed her mother upon her return from the tavern and the matter was reported to the police, which led to the stepfather’s arrest.
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