Northern Cape Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Kolisola Otola has welcomed the life sentence imposed on 25-year-old Thato Lekgoe for the rape of an 87-year-old visually impaired woman in Boithithong, near Kuruman.
Lekgoe was sentenced in the Mothibistad Regional Court on Tuesday, 24 March 2026.
According to evidence presented in court, the victim had gone to bed with her two grandchildren on the evening of Friday, 1 February 2024, when she heard a window being broken and forced open. The perpetrator entered the house, threatened the victim with a knife, and forced her to feel the sharp object, exploiting her visual impairment. He further threatened to kill her if she screamed.
Fearing for her life, the victim remained silent while the accused undressed her and repeatedly raped her. After the incident, the perpetrator used the torch on his cellphone to illuminate the room while searching for his clothes. The light enabled the two grandchildren to see his face and recognise him as a known person from the area who resides near the victim’s home.
Police were alerted and responded to the scene, where preliminary investigations were conducted. The suspect fled the area. A case of housebreaking with intent to rape and rape was registered at Boithithong Police Station.
The investigation was assigned to Sergeant Lebogang Serati of the Kuruman Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, who traced the accused to Cassel Village. The accused was positively linked to the crime through forensic evidence.
