The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has welcomed the conviction and sentencing handed out to a serial rapist by Polokwane High Court on Monday 09 October 2023.
Godlip Reason Seoka (33) received a sentence of 85 years on seven counts of rape.
The court noted that the accused terrorized the communities of Bolobedu and Tzaneen between the year 2015 and 2016 by raping and robbing women of their belongings.
He targeted unsuspecting women on their way to Tzaneen who did not know the area very well and offered assistance. In doing so, he would lure them to secluded areas.
The accused would then rape and rob the victims of their belongings. The accused would also target women hitchhiking on the R71 road on the way to Phalaborwa and Giyani. One of the victims was also hacked with a panga during the incident.
The police received a tip-off, and an operation was conducted. The accused was arrested on Wednesday, 28 December 2022, following a lengthy investigation and was charged with rape and robbery.
The case was transferred to the Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offenses Unit in Tzaneen for further investigation.
Sergeant Glenda Mathebula was assigned to investigate the case, and the accused was denied bail until he was found guilty by Polokowane High Court.
The accused was convicted and sentenced on seven counts, as follows:
Count 1 Rape – sentenced to 23 years imprisonment
Count 3 Rape – sentenced to 15 years imprisonment
Count 5 Rape – sentenced to 8 years imprisonment
Count 7 Rape- sentenced to 8 years imprisonment
Count 9 Rape – sentenced to 8 years imprisonment
Count 11 Rape – sentenced to 8 years imprisonment
Count 13 Rape – sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.
Count 3, 5, 7, 9, and 13 to run concurrently with count 1.
He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm in terms of Section 103(1)(g) of Act 60/2000.
Content retrieved from: https://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/msspeechdetail.php?nid=48872.
