Dedicated Loxton detective delivers trio of convictions

IN THE small Northern Cape town of Loxton, a dedicated detective has helped deliver justice in three separate cases - ranging from murder to assault, kidnapping, and drug possession - thanks to sharp police work and a strong partnership with the prosecuting authority.

Provincial police spokesperson Sergeant Molefi Shemane said that Detective Constable Charlton Barendse’s relentless investigations resulted in three convictions in just a few days, earning praise from district police management for his role in taking dangerous offenders off the streets.

In the most serious of the cases, 24-year-old Willem Mouers was sentenced to 18 years' direct imprisonment for the murder of his girlfriend, 34-year-old Martha Abrahams. The police were called to a shack in the Goutrou Plakkerskamp informal settlement on the night of August 11, 2024, where they found Abrahams dead at the scene. Mouers was arrested shortly afterwards and remained in custody until his conviction and sentencing in the Victoria West Regional Court on May 30.

Days later, the same court handed down a seven-year sentence to 26-year-old Elvin Blou, who was found guilty of assaulting and kidnapping his girlfriend during a violent incident in September 2023. Blou forced his way into the woman’s home, assaulted her, and dragged her at knifepoint to his house. After her eventual escape and report to the police, he was arrested and held without bail until sentencing on June 3.

The third case saw 31-year-old Senaho Mvelakubi sentenced to five years' direct imprisonment by the Loxton Magistrate’s Court after being caught with drugs during a police operation in Loxton Plakkerskamp in February 2024. 

All three men were also declared unfit to possess firearms.

The convictions were made possible through close co-operation between Detective Barendse and state prosecutor Caswell Joseph, whose teamwork has been applauded by senior police officials in the Pixley ka Seme District.