Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) remains a priority crime for the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Northern Cape, with law enforcement continuing to crack down on perpetrators. A recent 15-year sentence handed down to a repeat GBVF offender underscores SAPS’s commitment to protecting vulnerable individuals and ensuring accountability.
The case stems from two violent assaults committed by Diane Justice Masike (34) against his 32-year-old ex-girlfriend. The first attack occurred on 10 November 2024, when Masike brutally assaulted the victim, punching, kicking, and striking her with a beer bottle on the forehead. He was arrested shortly afterward but was released on bail.
Despite being out on bail, Masike attacked the same victim again on 3 February 2025, this time striking her on the head with an iron object. SAPS strongly opposed bail following the second assault, and the court denied his release, keeping him in custody.
The two attempted murder cases were later consolidated, and on 25 June 2025, the Kathu Regional Court sentenced Masike to 15 years’ direct imprisonment. Five years of the sentence were suspended for five years, on condition that he is not convicted of any violent offence during that period.
