“Paying attention to detail and being passionate about your work” are some of the words that were shared by the recently promoted Captain Koos van den Heever of Upington Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) when he was interviewed by the police’s Corporate Communication office following a successful conviction of the two men who were found guilty of rape, robbery and kidnapping.
Witecliff Kella (25) and Cornelius Cloete (30) appeared in the Upington High Court on 30 January 2019 where they were each found guilty and sentenced to two life (50 years) imprisonment for rape, sixty years for robbery with aggravating circumstances and eight years for kidnapping. All sentences will run concurrently.
In February 2017, two couples were out on a date in Upington and found themselves at an open field near a railway line in Rosedale, Upington. While the couples were busy enjoying each other’s company, Kella and Cloete approached them on foot and confronted and threatened them with knives.
They robbed the two men and their girlfriends of their cellphones, clothing, cash and shoes prior to forcing the two men into the boot and the two ladies into the back seat of their vehicle. They drove to a nearby cemetery where they took turns in raping the two ladies while their boyfriends were still locked in the boot of the car.
The couple’s misery only ended a while later after one of the ladies managed to escape and notified the police.
The case was given to the then Warrant Officer Van den Heever who conducted a thorough and outstanding investigation of the case. The official was recently promoted to the rank of Captain and ultimately became the Commander of Upington FCS.
The officer was commended by the Provincial Commissioner of the Northern Cape, Lieutenant General Risimati Shivuri for the professional and excellent manner in which he conducted the investigation of the case.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
