The Northern Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola welcomed the 18 year jail term handed down to Roderick Willemse (26).
Willemse was found guilty and sentenced by the Postmasburg Regional Court on Thursday, 18 August 2022 on charges of rape, attempted rape and robbery.
The accused committed the offences on two victims between September and October 2018 respectively.
During the court proceeding it came to light that on 9 September 2018 at approximately 01:45 Roderick accosted a 22-year-old woman and attempted to rape her.
On the day of the incident the victim was from the local night club on her way home. He approached the victim and requested her to give him R2 and dragged her to 2nd Avenue, Kuilsville in Danielskuil where he attempted to undress her.
He threatened to kill the victim should she continue to scream. Community members in the neighbourhood heard the victim screaming and came to her rescue.
Roderick fled the scene and was arrested later after the victim reported the matter to the Danielskuil police and he was released on bail after appearing in court.
While out on bail, he was re-arrested on a separate count of rape and robbery.
On 21 October 2018 he raped a 21-year-old woman in the veld near Maranteng in Kuilsville. At the time of the incident the victim was in the company of her 13-year-old sister busy collecting wood in the veld. The accused threatened the victim with a screwdriver and raped and robbed her of her cellphone.
The victim’s sister fled the scene and alerted her younger brother about the incident.
The victim’s brother chased after the accused and apprehended him. He was handed over to the Danielskuil police. The accused was found in possession of the victim’s cellphone including the screwdriver which was used during the commission of the crime.
The accused was arrested and charged for rape and robbery. The investigating officer, Sergeant David Mongake successfully opposed bail and the accused was remanded in police custody until the finalisation of the trial.
The Postmasburg Regional Court found him guilty and sentenced him to 18 years imprisonment effectively.
The accused was sentenced as follows:
Count 1 – rape sentenced to 10 years direct imprisonment;
Count 2 – attempted rape sentenced to six years direct imprisonment and
Count 3 – robbery sentenced to two years direct imprisonment.
The court also declared him unfit to possess a firearm.
The Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola lauded the investigating officer, Sergeant David Mongake for his meticulous investigation which resulted in the incarceration of the perpetrator.
