LIMPOPO – The Polokwane High Court has convicted a 37-year-old man on multiple charges – including two counts of murder, rape, kidnapping, house robbery, and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm – for crimes committed in The Oaks village near Hoedspruit.

Crimes committed during December 2023

Limpopo police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, says the court heard that the incidents took place in December 2023 when the accused unlawfully entered a home in The Oaks.

Inside the house were a woman and two children, aged 5 and 20-years-old. The woman was forcibly taken from her home and attacked.

Believing she would not survive, the accused then returned to the house, where he raped and strangled her daughter (20) to death. Her son (5) witnessed his sister’s attack and was then blind folded with masking tape and tied to a chair.

Injured victim alerts community and identifies suspect

Despite her injuries, the mother managed to reach nearby community members who assisted her and contacted the police.

At the hospital, she provided officers with information that led to the identification of the suspect. She later passed away.

“A police search was immediately launched, and the accused was arrested in the Hoedspruit area. At the time of arrest, he was found with property belonging to one of the victims,” says Ledwaba.

The case was initially heard in the Maake Magistrate’s Court before being transferred to the Polokwane High Court, where the accused was found guilty and handed direct life sentences.

His full sentence is as follows:

• Two counts of murder: Life imprisonment
• Rape: Life imprisonment
• Kidnapping: 10 years
• Assault GBH: 10 years
• House robbery: 15 years

Provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, praised the work of the investigating officer, Sergeant Given Shawn Mbhalati, for securing the conviction.

She said the outcome demonstrates the commitment of the SAPS to ensuring that perpetrators of gender-based violence face the full consequences of their actions.