The SAPS continues to intensify efforts to combat gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) as part of the ongoing 90-day blitz to eradicate these crimes across the country.
In two separate incidents, diligent investigations led to the successful prosecution and sentencing of two male accused, aged 36 and 19 in Bloemfontein and Parys, respectively.
In Bloemfontein, the 36-year-old Lebogang Matthews was convicted in the Bloemfontein Regional Court for housebreaking with the intent to commit rape, and rape. Magistrate Zweni sentenced him to 18 years’ imprisonment for rape and five years for housebreaking. The sentences will run concurrently. He was also declared unfit to work with children and unfit to possess a firearm.
The conviction stems from an incident on 6 October 2024 at around 02:30, when the victim was asleep and heard someone knocking at her door. After she refused to open, the accused forcefully kicked the door open, entered, and raped her in the presence of her four-year-old daughter. After the assault, the accused instructed the victim not to inform his wife and offered her R1 500 to keep silent.
In a separate case, of a crime committed in Parys, the 19-year-old Garter Griffen was found guilty of attempted rape and sentenced to eight years’ direct imprisonment by the Parys Regional Court. The offence occurred on 26 November 2024 at about 18:00, when the victim was sitting near the river. The accused approached her with compliments, then suddenly pushed her to the ground and attempted to rape her. The victim’s screams attracted community members who intervened and apprehended the suspect.
“These convictions reaffirm SAPS’s commitment to ensuring that perpetrators of GBVF face the full might of the law,” says Sgt. Sinah Mpakane, spokesperson for the Free State SAPS.
