MOKOPANE – Police spokesperson Lt Col Moatshe Ngoepe says the police have welcomed this sentence, especially during 16 days of activism against the abuse of women and children.
Frans Makhafola (33); Alfred Lesiba Magongoa (27) and Ephraim Malotsa (27) were each sentenced to life imprisonment for rape by the Mokerong Regional Court on Monday, 4 December.
Ngoepe explains that the sentence emanates from an incident which occurred on 17 October 2016 at Ga-Magongoa Zone 02, outside Mokopane.
“The trio grabbed a 35-year-old woman who was on her way home from a funeral, dragged her to the nearby bushes where they took turns in raping her,” he explained.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Bafana Linda has applauded the team of detectives from the Mahwelereng Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit for cracking this case.
“As we are in the midst of a very important period, in which all sectors of our communities are engaged in activities that are aimed at eradicating abuses of women and children, this sentence will send a clear message that crimes perpetrated against the most vulnerable will not be tolerated.” Linda said.
Raeesa Sempe is a Caxton Award-winning Digital Editor with nine years’ experience in the industry. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand and started her journey as a community journalist for the Polokwane Review in 2015. She then became the online journalist for the Review in 2016 where she excelled in solidifying the Review’s digital footprint through Facebook lives, content creation and marketing campaigns. Raeesa then moved on to become the News Editor of the Bonus Review in 2019 and scooped up the Editorial Employee of the Year award in the same year. She is the current Digital Editor of the Polokwane Review-Observer, a position she takes pride in. Raeesa is married with one child and enjoys spending time with friends, listening to music and baking – when she has the time. “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon." – Tom Stoppard
