The Bothaville Magistrate’s Court has handed down a life imprisonment sentence to 42-year-old Papi Mokereretla for the brutal rape of a 15-year-old mentally challenged girl.
The horrific incident occurred on 22 July 2023, when Mokereretla lured the victim under the false pretense of buying electricity. The teenager, who had been playing at a neighbor’s house where the accused also resided, was instructed to meet him at a nearby shop after jumping a back fence.
As they walked together, the victim expressed discomfort with the unfamiliar route, but Mokereretla insisted they continue. He then led her to a secluded area at the edge of the location, where trees and a ditch obscured them from view. There, he forced her into the ditch, undressed her, and raped her.
Traumatized by the assault, the victim did not immediately report the incident to her family. However, the following day at school, she courageously confided in a friend, who alerted the school principal. Authorities were swiftly notified, and a case was opened with the Bothaville South African Police Service (SAPS), triggering an investigation that ultimately led to Mokereretla’s arrest and prosecution.
