The North West Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, welcomed the sentencing of eight life imprisonments and 25 years, handed down by Bafokeng Magistrate Regional Court in Tlhabane, to Matsile Tidimalo Pasca, aged 35, for multiple rapes committed in 2014.
During the court proceedings the court was told how Matsile lured his victims, while pretending to safeguard them at night. All his victims were on their way home after a night out and hitchhiked on the R104 between Rustenburg towards Tlhabane.
In the first incident on Sunday, 21 March 2014, at 01:30, two ladies, aged 18 and 19, were hitchhiking to Phokeng. He convinced them to join him on foot as he was going the same direction as them. He further assured them they need not to worry as he was in possession of a firearm. Once on their way he threatened them with that firearm in his possession, took them to a nearby park in Bester, Tlhabane, and raped both of them numerous times at gunpoint.
The following day, Monday 22 March 2014, he repeated the same demeanour with two other ladies, aged 18 and 22 years. In both incidents he also robbed the victims of their personal belongings that included cellular phones and cash.
Matsile managed to evade arrest, but good investigations done by Captain Mokgatlhe Mokgatlhe, paid off when he was arrested in September 2014. He was not granted bail by Court and was in custody ever since his arrest.
Earlier this week Matsile was sentenced after being found guilty on 10 counts of rape and 2 counts of armed robbery with aggravating circumstances. He was sentenced to eight life imprisonment plus 25 years.
The sentence will run concurrently. Matsile was furthermore declared unfit to possess a firearm in terms of the Firearm Control Act (Section 103(1) of Act 60 of 2000),
The Provincial Commissioner commended the Investigating officer on a job done well and said this sentence will send a strong message that the police will continue to work hard to bring perpetrators to book.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
