On June 8, 2026, the Thabazimbi Regional Court sentenced 33-year-old Moses Malatjie to an effective 20 years in prison for rape and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The conviction stems from an incident in the early hours of September 14, 2024. A 31-year-old woman and her friend were walking from Bundu to Mojuteng in Northam when they were accosted by a male suspect wearing a balaclava. The suspect produced a firearm and fired several shots, causing the victim’s friend to flee the scene. The suspect then forcefully dragged the victim to a nearby building situated next to a power line, where he threatened her with the firearm and raped her.
Malatjie was sentenced on multiple charges:
Count 1: Robbery with aggravating circumstances – 15 years imprisonment.
Count 2: Robbery with aggravating circumstances – 15 years imprisonment.
Count 5: Rape – 20 years imprisonment.
Count 6: Rape – 20 years imprisonment.
The court ordered that the sentences imposed on Counts 1, 2, and 5 run concurrently with the sentence imposed on Count 6, resulting in an effective sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment. Additionally, the accused was declared unfit to possess a firearm in terms of Section 103 of the Firearms Control Act (Act 60 of 2000).
