TWO LIFE SENTENCES HANDED DOWN AGAINST A SERIAL RAPIST
POLOKWANE: The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has welcomed two life sentences handed down by the Nebo Regional Court against the serial rapist, Pitso Tshwaane Maleka aged 31, on Wednesday, 03 July 2024.
The accused was sentenced after he was convicted for raping four victims aged between 12 and 30 at different locations under the Nebo policing area between April 2012 and February 2019. The accused was sentenced to life imprisonment for count 01 rape and another life imprisonment for count 02 sexual offence, count 03 twenty-five years imprisonment for house breaking with intent to rape and rape and count 04: twenty-five years imprisonment for house breaking with intent to rape and rape. The sentences will run concurrently.
During the trial, the court heard that the accused had been terrorizing the community members in the Nebo policing area since 2012. He would break into the victim’s houses at night and threatened them with a knife while he covered his face with a balaclava.
All these cases were reported to the Police and placed under investigation by Sergeant Mokgaetji Sema of Provincial Serial and Electronic Crime Investigation Unit to trace the suspect involved.
Subsequent to further investigations, DNA results were received and linked to the suspect, who was then on the run. In the same way, he tried to commit the same heinous acts, but he was caught by the community and badly assaulted. The investigating officer was informed, and that was when the suspect was arrested in 2022.
“We appreciate the job well done by the investigating officer, and everyone participated in the cases. We also thank the community members for taking part, but mob attack is condemned, Police must be notified without injuring the suspects,” said Lieutenant General Hadebe.
