Rapist of senior citizen gets life in jail after residents arrest him

A 22-year-old rapist has been swiftly convicted and sentenced to life in jail for the brutal rape of a senior citizen.

The 22-year-old man, Pule Mabote, was sentenced to life in jail in the Bloemfontein High Court after being convicted of raping a 65-year-old woman. He appeared in court for sentencing on Monday.

Freestate SAPS spokesperson Colonel Thandi Mbambo, said the rapist’s sentencing had followed the rape of the woman on 29 November 2020.

“The victim was woken by a knock at her residence and went to open thinking it was her grand son.  She opened the door and was subsequently hit with a beer bottle on the forehead by the accused and sustained a wound,” Mbambo said.

“The accused then raped her and left the house. The victim managed to scream and alerted the neighbours who were able to chase and catch the accused,” Mbambo added.

Mbambo said that a case of rape was reported at the Brandfort SAPS police station. The case was then assigned to Sergeant Lebogang Dikgacoi of the Bultfontein Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit. 

“The investigator worked tirelessly to ensure that justice prevailed,” Mbambo said.

Freestate SAPS Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Baile Motswenyane welcomed the sentencing of the rapist. He said the police appreciated the assistance of the residents of Brandfort who had managed to catch the rapist and hand him over to police for processing.

Motswenyane  also lauded the police investigator for his diligence in securing an appropriately heavy sentence for the rapist, which will send a strong message to the public that gender based violence will not be tolerated.