ZAMDELA – A 25-year-old man who was linked to a brutal gang rape through DNA evidence has been sentenced to 23 years behind bars.

Kantoro Tumi Moisi was sentenced by the Sasolburg Regional Court after being convicted of rape and theft.

The case dates back to the early hours of January 27, 2019, when a 21-year-old woman was walking along Lekoa Street in Zamdela.

According to Free State police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thabo Covane, the woman first witnessed three men robbing another woman of her belongings.

She could not identify the men but remembered what they were wearing.

One suspect wore a white school jersey and formal shoes, another a red jersey, and the third a blue top.

As the woman continued walking, the three suspects caught up with her.

They allegedly threatened her with a knife before forcing her to hand over her cellphone and remove her clothes.

Police said she was then raped by all three suspects before being abandoned at the scene.

The traumatised woman reported the attack and was immediately taken for medical attention, where forensic samples were collected.

But with the suspects unknown, the case was eventually closed in February 2019.

Years later, investigators got a breakthrough following the release of DNA results from the laboratory.

The DNA lead resulted in the case being reopened in 2025.

Forensic analysis linked Moisi to the crime, with police saying the evidence indicated that he was one of the three men involved in the attack.

Moisi was already behind bars at Sasolburg Correctional Services on other charges.

The 23-year sentence was handed down on September 29.