Kimberley cyberbully sentenced to two life terms for murder, child rape

MURDER and rape accused Itumeleng Bendow Machabe, 27, was sentenced to two life terms and an additional 44 years imprisonment by the Northern Cape High Court on Tuesday.

He was convicted of 18 charges, including rape, extortion, fraud, crimen injuria and child pornography.

He was also convicted of the rape and murder of 11-year-old Relebogile Segami, whose body was dumped in the veld behind the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature in March 2022.

Machabe was also found guilty of raping three minors between the ages of 13 and 15.

Northern Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Sergio Kock said Machabe was arrested on March 31, 2022, and remained in custody until his sentencing on February 18.

“The court handed down the hefty prison sentence for the array of heinous crimes he committed,” said Kock.

“Machabe lured his victims through a fake Facebook account, pretending to be a 16-year-old gay female, and posted explicit videos and their nude full-body pictures and later blackmailed them.”

The incidents took place between 2013 and 2022 in Kimberley.

The provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Koliswa Otola, praised the Galeshewe SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences investigation team, including Colonel Marli Strydom, Captain Sebata Tsiu, Captain Monapule Khatwane, Warrant Officer Nicole Botha, Warrant Officer Lesego Oliphant, Warrant Officer Bonolo Masau, Warrant Officer Tanya Serfontein, Warrant Officer Oageng Moilwa and Sergeant Simphiwe Mdunge, as well as Sergeant Gwyneth Paulsen from the Provincial SAPS Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations unit and members of the Provincial SAPS Cyber Crime unit, for their excellent work.

She welcomed the lengthy sentence handed to Machabe.

“Gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) remains a priority for the SAPS and all our officers will continue to sharpen their responses to these atrocious crimes committed against the most vulnerable in society,” she said.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane stated that during the trial, State advocate Elmari Kruger had advised the court how Machabe had deliberately targeted minors whom he knew were “vulnerable, young, innocent, and naïve.”

He added that Machabe was found guilty on all counts except for the attempted murder charge, due to a lack of evidence.

“The NPA envisages that the sentencing will not only give the victims hope, closure and a sense of freedom but also send a harsh message to criminals of gender-based violence and femicide-related matters. The prosecution, working with law enforcement partners, will act harshly in investigating and prosecuting these crimes and offenders will face the full might of the law should they be found guilty of such criminal conduct,” said Senokoatsane.

“The prosecution argued that it was a known fact that South Africa faces insuperable levels of violent crime, particularly targeting vulnerable groups, which include women and children. The State further argued that there were no substantial and compelling factors that could make the court deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life when it comes to crimes of this nature.”