VRYHEID KZN: 8-year-long rape spree comes to an end

Last week Friday (June 11), a 33-year-old man was sentenced to 10 life imprisonments on charges of rape, plus 59 years for robbery with intent to rape. Ntokozo Calvin Thabethe has terrorized women in Vryheid since 2010. He would target women who were leaving in the early hours of the morning for work, or women who would walk alone, as well as elderly women. He would drag his victims to a secluded area and rape them repeatedly.

In April 2011, a 49-year-old woman was selling her goods in Vryheid when Thabethe saw the opportunity while she was alone in nearby bushes. He demanded money before raping her. In May 2015, another victim was tied to the ground with grass while he repeatedly raped her. The cases were reported from 2010 to 2018, and were under investigation by the Vryheid Family Violence, Child Protection & Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit. After a lengthy investigation with very little information at hand, the investigating officer managed to arrest Thabethe in 2018. He was positively linked to 10 charges of rape, robbery, burglary and theft. The investigating officer presented a well-prepared docket to the court, which led to a successful conviction and sentence.

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