The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba warmly welcomes the long jail sentences handed down to five accused aged between 26 and 38, by the Polokwane and Thohoyandou High Court for cases ranging from rape, murder, business robbery to house robbery following the incidents that occurred separately in the Motetema and Levubu policing areas, respectively.
In Motetema outside Groblersdal, Tshepo Moses Moganedisa aged 27 was sentenced to thirty (30) years imprisonment for housebreaking with intent to rape and rape. This sentence follows an incident where an elderly woman aged 70 was raped by an unknown man while she was sleeping in her house in the early hours of the 26 January 2018 at about 03:30, at Makaepeya Section in Tafelkop Village. The accused broke into the house, threatened the victim with a knife and raped her before he jumped through the window and fled the scene.
In another incident that took place in the early hours of the 6 February 2019 at about 03:00, the same accused entered another house through the window. The victim realised someone wearing a balaclava on his face in the house. He threatened to kill her if she scream and raped her before he fled the scene.
Still in Motetema, Tshepo Moses Maganedisa aged 27 now joined by Macdonald Lunga Sebanyoni aged 26, in separate incidents, attacked two elderly people aged 61 and 67. On Friday the 7 June 2019 at about 02:00, the accused went to the victims’ house at Majakaneng village, attacked the old woman and demanded money from her and her brother aged 61, tried to rescue his sister but the accused stabbed him several times to death with a knife. In the process, the old woman managed to escape and screamed for help until the two accused fled the scene.
The deceased was identified as Thifos Titus Thamage.
The accused were sentenced by the Polokwane High Court as follows:
*Lunga Macdonald Sebanyoni aged 26, was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for housebreaking with intent to rob and murder.
*Tshepo Moses Maganedisa aged 27, was sentenced to a further thirty eight (38) years imprisonment for housebreaking with intent to rape, rape, robbery, housebreaking with intent to rob, assault GBH and for murder. The accused was further declared unfit to possess firearm.
Meanwhile, the Thohoyandou High Court, sentenced the three accused, Sonti Maxwell Ntatamala (35), Itani Master Magwaba (34) and Gezani Maswanganyi (38), to an effective twenty four (24) years imprisonment each, for business robberies, house robberies and possession of unlicensed firearm which occurred in the area during 2015.
The incidents occurred on separate occasions when the accused robbed the victims money, firearms and airtime. During August 2015, the trio intruded into the farmhouse at Schoeman in the Levubu area. They pointed the victim aged 70 with firearms, demanded safe keys and stole cash amount of money, ammunition, and other items and fled the scene.
The Provincial Commissioner also praised the investigating officers in all these cases for working hard and ensuring that these criminals are removed from our communities for a long time.
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