The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba is elated, following the hefty sentences handed down by three different courts across the province, this week, against three accused convicted of charges ranging from murder, attempted murder, rape, robbery, house-breaking with intent to rape to Contravention of illegal Immigration Act, during separate incidents that occurred in the Musina, Botlokwa and Burgersfort policing areas.
Police spokesman, Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said the Burgersfort Regional Court in the Sekhukhune District, sentenced a 41-year-old Suprise Solly Ntlwane to life imprisonment for raping an elderly woman, aged 75, at a village around the Mecklenburg policing area on 16 April, 2019, at about 19:00.
It was gathered that the accused requested accommodation from the unsuspecting victim and later threatened and repeatedly raped her.
Detective Constable Mahlatse Daniel Mangoale from the Burgersfort Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit, worked tirelessly until the accused was brought to book and subsequently slapped with heavy jail term.
Meanwhile, the Musina Regional Court in the Vhembe District, lashed a 41-year-old man, Tharusenga Thoman Chunga, with life sentence for murder, attempted murder and robbery plus six months imprisonment for Contravention of illegal Immigration Act.
The accused, who is originally from Zimbabwe, was part of a group that terrorised motorists and communities along the N1 Road between Musina and Louise Trichardt since 2015.
He was arrested at Mahwelereng under the Waterberg District following a lengthy investigation by the detectives. The cases were investigated by Detective Sergeant Maharinge Sidwel Mashele from the Saps Provincial Organised Crime Unit.
In the same veim, Robert Ramoeketsi Mokgolobotho, 39, was sentenced by the Morebeng Regional Court in the Capricorn District to three life sentences plus 10 years imprisonment for separate cases of rapes and house breaking with intent to rape.
The accused raped four women aged between 19 and 20 at gunpoint between 2015 and 2017, around Botlokwa policing area outside the City of Polokwane.
His modus operandi was to break into the homes of young women at night who were staying alone, raped and robbed them off belongings such as cell-phones.
The accused was arrested and positively linked to all these cases after the meticulous investigations conducted by Detective Sergeant Chuene Selolo from the Polokwane Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit.
The Provincial Commissioner has also applauded the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit and the Provincial Organised Crime Unit for their hard work and diligence and he highlighted that the police will continue to remove criminals permanently from the society.