A 22-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape of a 64-year-old woman in Phelindaba, Bloemfontein, following a meticulous investigation by the Mangaung Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit.
Mosala Benito Ellester was convicted by the Bloemfontein Regional Court on charges of housebreaking with the intent to rape and rape. The attack occurred in the early hours of 18 December 2023, when the elderly victim was asleep in her home. Ellester gained entry through a bathroom window, assaulted and raped her, before stealing two cellphones and fleeing the scene.
The case formed part of the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) intensified 90-day blitz against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). Sergeant Tiisetso Lentsa, the lead investigator, ensured a swift breakthrough by linking Ellester to the crime through fingerprints collected at the scene. His arrest followed shortly afterward, culminating in a successful conviction.
In addition to his life sentence, Ellester’s name has been added to the National Register for Sex Offenders, and he has been declared unfit to possess a firearm.