Northern Cape rapist receives 25-year prison term for crimes against minors

A Batlharos man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the rape of two teenage girls in separate incidents that occurred in 2017 and 2019.

These cases have once again highlighted the urgent need to address gender-based violence and the vulnerability of minors in South Africa.

On the night of September 28, 2017, a 15-year-old girl was lured from her home by a friend under false pretences. Upon meeting the accused, then 24 years old, the friend was threatened and forced to leave. The accused then held the girl at knifepoint, took her to his residence, and raped her. She was released the following morning and reported the incident to her family, leading to his arrest.

While out on bail, the accused committed a second rape on March 24, 2019. He broke into a home through a bedroom window and found a 14-year-old girl asleep with two other children. He threatened her with a knife, forced her to undress, and raped her.

The victim disclosed the assault to her aunt the next morning, prompting another police report and his subsequent arrest.

This time, bail was successfully opposed, and the accused remained in custody until trial. On September 22, 2025, the Mothibistad Regional Court convicted him on two counts of rape and sentenced him to 25 years imprisonment, with the sentences to run consecutively. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm, and his name will be entered into the National Sexual Offences Register.

Brigadier Kenneth Baloyi, Acting District Commissioner of John Taolo Gaetsewe, praised the investigative efforts of Detective Sergeant Nomawonga Keetile and Detective Constable Lorato Badukane of the Kuruman Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, whose work was instrumental in securing justice for the victims