The Polokwane High Court has sentenced Nakedi Harold Chipu (29) to an effective 15 years imprisonment after finding him guilty of rape and housebreaking with intent to commit rape, committed against a 70-year-old woman from Ga-Mochemi Village in the Senwabarwana policing area.
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The court heard how on Tuesday, 03 February 2022 at approximately 01:00, the accused broke into the elderly victim’s house while she was asleep and raped her.
When the victim attempted to escape, the accused pulled her back, bit her on the cheek, and continued to rape her. The victim eventually managed to escape to a neighbour’s house to seek help, leading to the arrest of the accused, who was later released on bail.
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In a separate incident on Friday, 13 September 2024, the same victim returned home, locked her door, and went to sleep.
When she woke up the following morning at approximately 05:00, she discovered the same accused sleeping in her son’s bedroom. The victim alerted neighbours who apprehended the accused, resulting in his arrest. The case was later transferred from Senwabarwana Court to the Polokwane High Court for trial, where he was found guilty on 05 May 2025.
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For the rape charge, Chipu was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment with five years suspended on condition that he is not convicted of a similar offense during the period of suspension. For the housebreaking charge, he received three years imprisonment, ordered to run concurrently with the sentence for the rape charge. The court also declared the accused unfit to possess a firearm.
The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, welcomed the sentence, stating:
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“This sentencing sends a strong message that crimes against our vulnerable elderly citizens will not be tolerated. I commend the diligent work of Warrant Officer Robert Tsiri from the Seshego Family Violence and Child Protection Offences Unit, whose thorough investigation ensured that justice was served.”
