NKOWANKOWA REGIONAL COURT CONVICTS NKAMBAKO RAPE ACCUSED TO TWO LIFE IMPRISONMENT

Nkowankowa Regional Court have convicted and imposed two life sentences conviction to Pontso Malatjie on Wednesday, 24 January 2024 for the two counts of rape.

The court heard that on 04 March 2018 at about 03:00 in the morning at Nkambako Village under N’wamitwa Traditional Authority outside Tzaneen, the accused Pontsho aged 26 years then, threatened the two females aged 16 and 17 years old during the time of the commission of the crime, promised to shoot them in order for them to open the door for him.

He was talking to them through the window and indeed the victims opened the door for him.

Subsequently, the accused forced himself to the victims one after another raping them, and he also robbed them of the cash amount of R173.00 afterwards he fled the scene on foot. The victims managed to identify their culprit as he was known to them as a boyfriend to their sister.

The victims opened cases of rape at Letsitele Police Station, and the dockets were transferred to Tzaneen Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offenses Unit for further investigations. The two case dockets were assigned to Detective Constable Terry Ngobeni for investigations.

The accused was traced and arrested the same day just after the cases were reported. Detective Constable Ngobeni successfully opposed the bail against the accused, and he remained in custody pending final trial period and conviction.

The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the Police in Limpopo Major General Jan Scheepers welcomed the conviction and subsequent sentencing of the accused.
The accused was found guilty of rape and sentenced to two life imprisonment.

The court ordered that the particulars of the accused be entered in the National Register of the sexual offenders.