The Tzaneen Regional Court has sentenced a 27-year old Jeffery Sewape from Mohlakong village in Bolobedu on Friday, 13 December 2024, to three life imprisonment following three counts of Rape and Assault GBH. The three teenagers aged 13 to 17 were victims of rape.
The court heard that, on the 28 August 2020, a 13 year old victim was sleeping alone in a house at Mandela Park while her parents went to attend a funeral night vigil around Bolobedu . It was at about 03:00 when the victim was awoken up by an unknown man who threatened her with a knife and raped her.
She managed to escape and ran to her neighbours’ house. He followed her and threw her neighbours with stones. The matter was reported to the Police and the case docket was transferred to Tzaneen Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) and Warrant Officer Glenda Mathebula was assigned to investigate. Through her meticulous investigations, the accused was arrested and linked by the DNA tests, which revealed connections to further Bolobedu rape case, which was investigated by Sergeant Vukeya.
The accused was linked to another rape case that occured during the 16 February 2016 where the victim was on her way to church at Bolobedu when she met the accused Sewape who threatened her with a knife and took her to the nearest bushes and raped her.
On the 20 October 2012 at about 21:00, a 17 year old victim was walking with her friend from the tavern when she was threatened with a knife by the accused who dragged her to the nearest bushes and rape her. The accused was linked to this incident and charged as a result. The case was assigned to Sergeant Vukeya of Tzaneen FCS.
In a separate incident, on the 18 November 2020 the accused stabbed a 43 year old man on his head, face and upper body with a knife and further hit him with a crate of beer at the local tarven and left him unconscious.
The two investigators Sergeant Tintswalo Vukeya and Warrant Officer Glenda Mathebula ensured that a thorough investigation was conducted which led to the succesful conviction of the accused.
The accused was sentenced as follows :
*Count 1: Rape sentenced to life imprisonment*
*Count 2: Rape sentenced to life imprisonment*
*Count 8: Rape sentenced to life imprisonment*
*Count 9: Assault GBH Sentenced to 4 years of whole suspended sentence*
The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe lauded the two investigators Sergeant Vukeya and Warrant Officer Mathebula for conducting a thorough investigations which linked the accused and heavily sentenced by the Regional Court.
This succesful conviction is justice served to the three victims of heinous crime committed to them.
