LIMPOPO – Provincial police commissioner, Lt Gen Thembi Hadebe, has welcomed the life sentence handed down to a 40-year-old man by the Groblersdal Regional Court.

Mthimunye Sipho Rooi was sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of a 10-year-old girl from Blompoort Village in the Denilton policing area.

How the crime unfolded

The court heard that on March 8 2025, the young victim was on her way to a local tuckshop when the accused – a man she knew – asked her to follow him to his house.

Once there, he lured her with chocolate and yoghurt before raping her.

How the abuse came to light

The victim’s mother was alerted when her daughter’s extra class teacher called to report that the child had not been attending her lessons.

During a conversation with the teacher, the girl revealed that the accused had been stopping her on the road and calling her to his house. She said she was afraid to go because he had previously raped her.

Arrest and sentencing

A case of rape was opened, and the accused was traced and arrested by the Groblersdal Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) at his home in Blompoort.

On Monday, May 25, the Groblersdal Regional Court sentenced Rooi to life imprisonment for one count of rape. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.