The suspect who raped a 17-year-old teen and his own 20-year-old sister on 11 September 2016 was apprehended in Randfontein last Wednesday.
Thabiso Mogapi wa Tsotetsi, the chairperson of Action for Social Justice International (ASJI) broke the news of the arrest to the Herald this week.
In 2016, he said the teen was part of the LGBTI (lesbian women, gay men, bisexual, transgender and intersex) community.
At the time, Sgt Kelebogile Trom, the SAPS spokesperson reported that the suspect had asked the 17-year-old to accompany him to his girlfriend’s house to deliver a letter.
‘When they were near Mohadin stadium, he raped her at knifepoint and then stabbed her in the buttocks and head until she lost consciousness. The girl came around the following morning and found herself on the ground. She was admitted to the intensive care unit because of the severity of her injuries,’ said Trom.
Since the arrest, Mogapi wa Tsotetsi said the LGBTI rights organisation, #ActionForSocialJusticeInternational, in partnership with the OUT-LGBTI Wellbeing, LoveNotHate programme, including a delegation from the Netherlands, have followed and monitored the case closely.
‘Action For Social Justice International has played a major role by assisting the local investigating officer with a picture or photo of the suspect for circulation by the different print and visual media houses circulation and other useful information that could lead to his successful arrest.
‘In addition, the case was forwarded to the provincial and national LGBTI task teams, led by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.
‘The suspect appeared in court on Tuesday. The case was postponed to 17 July 2018, on request by the defence.
#ActionForSocialJusticeInternational commends the great work done by the NW SAPS–Potchefstroom FCS (Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences) in ensuring the arrest of this suspect,’ he said.
In addition to this case, the Ikageng police allege that the suspect had raped his own 20-year-old sister at 03:00 on the same Sunday that he had violated the teen (at 18:30).
Trom says the woman’s neighbour woke up to the sobbing of the victim on her doorstep in Ext. 7 in the early hours of 11 September. She was wearing only a vest.
