Life for raping teens

A 32-YEAR-OLD Northern Cape man was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Mothibistad Regional Court following his conviction for raping two teenagers.

Police spokesperson Captain Olebogeng Tawana said the accused, Mojalefa Metse, was found guilty of raping two teens between the ages of 16 and 18 in 2017 and 2019 and was sentenced on Tuesday, October 12.

“During the court proceedings Metse’s modus operandi was revealed, where he accosted both victims, robbed them of their cellphones at knifepoint and dragged them into vacant and derelict premises before raping them,” said Tawana.

Tawana said the first incident took place when the woman was on her way home from a tuck shop in Mogajaneng village near Kuruman in December 2017.

“He robbed her of her cellphone, dragged her into a nearby yard and raped her. He fled with her cellphone subsequent to raping her. The woman was rescued after she screamed for help and the occupants of a vehicle that was passing by offered their assistance.”

Tawana added that Metse was arrested in January 2019 after being linked to the rape through DNA results.

“While he was out on bail in November 2019, Metse grabbed and raped a 16-year-old girl. On the day of the rape incident, she was walking to a nearby restaurant in Mapoteng village. He stopped and asked the victim for her cellphone number and the victim told him that she was not in possession of her cellphone. However, he continued and searched her for the cellphone and forcefully took it from her. Afterwards, the accused grabbed and dragged her into a nearby abandoned shack where he raped her.”

Tawana said the teenager was held hostage the entire night, until 4am the next morning.

Tawana added that Metse was kept in police custody until the trial was concluded on Tuesday.

“The Mothibistad Regional Court ordered that Metse’s name be recorded in the National Register for Sex Offenders. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.”