A 23-year-old man from Makatu Village has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Dzanani Regional Court for the 2019 rape of a minor.
The court found Mukhethwa Masindi guilty after hearing that on 23 November 2019, at approximately 16:00, the victim, then aged 13, was walking with a friend past a soccer field in Makatu Village when they encountered the accused.
Masindi allegedly pulled the young girl into a nearby bush. Her friend managed to escape the situation and ran away. Masindi then proceeded to rape the victim.
Following the assault, the 13-year-old returned home and reported the incident to her sister. The sister subsequently alerted the police at the Siloam Police Station.
The accused was apprehended the following day, on 24 November 2019. To ensure a specialized investigation, the case was transferred to the Thohoyandou Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit.
The Provincial Commissioner of Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has publicly commended the arresting officers and the investigator, Sergeant Phumodzo Nemafhohoni, for their work.
Lieutenant General Hadebe praised the team for conducting a “thorough investigation,” which was instrumental in securing the life sentence against the rapist.