A 38-year-old male was arrested on Tuesday, 18 October 2022, after information was received and operationalised by a Provincial Task Team, consisting of various units such as Family Violence, Child Protection ad Sexual Offices (FCS), Crime Intelligence, Organised Crime Investigation Unit, Crime Combatting Unit and the Tracking Team.
The accused was arrested following investigation that a serial rapist was active in the Potchefstroom, Ikageng and Klerksdorp areas.
More than 15 rape cases were reported between September 2021 and October 2022, with similar modus operandi.
The suspect would lure his victims by advertising jobs on social media, using mostly Facebook and targeting Zimbabwean ladies, who are fluent in Shona.
Further information gathered by the Task Team, led them to an address in Alabama, close to Klerksdorp, where the suspect was arrested. A knife found in his possession as well as various cellular phone sim cards were seized.
The team then proceeded to the suspect’s residence in Jouberton, Extension 11, where 11 bags, full of lady’s clothes (suspected to be belonging to victims), 8 cellular phones and more sim cards were also seized.
In one of the cases reported in Potchefstroom on Thursday, 9 September 2021, a 27-year-old woman, who was allegedly scheduled to meet a lady who promised her a job via WhatsApp, arrived at a shopping centre close to the taxi rank in Potchefstroom.
The woman, who was from Johannesburg, met with a man as arranged by the lady she had been communicating with. She and the man boarded a taxi and alighted at Extension 11, Ikageng. The man allegedly took the woman to a bushy and secluded place, next to the N12 road, where she was ultimately overpowered, strangled, raped and robbed of her personal property.
The 38-year-old accused appeared before the Potchefstroom Magistrates’ Court on several charges of kidnapping, rape and robbery.
He was remanded in custody until his next court appearance before the same court on Tuesday, 1 November 2022.
The police would like to request anyone with information that can assist in the investigation and identifying possible victims to contact the Investigating Officer, Sergeant Jacob Ranoko, of the Potchefstroom FCS Unit on cell: 069 107 1676.
The Provincial Commissioner of North West, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena congratulated the Task Team for working tirelessly to identify and arrest the accused. He said that the police will continue to work hard to ensure Gender Based Violence (GBV) related cases are prioritized.
