A 33-year-old man received two life sentences plus 45 years for brutally raping, kidnapping, and attempting to murder two schoolgirls in Dithakong village near Mothibistad, Northern Cape.
The Mothibistad Regional Court found Thabo Magwatane guilty on seven charges.
The charges include housebreaking with intent to steal, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of rape, and two counts of attempted murder.
NORTHERN CAPE MAN JAILED FOR RAPE AND ATTEMPTED MURDER OF TWO SCHOOLGIRLS
According to the NPA, Magwatane and three accomplices broke into a home on 23 February 2022. Two matric learners, aged 17 and 18, lived there to attend school. The attackers cut the power and demanded cash and phones before stealing R100 and two cellphones.
They then stripped the victims naked, blindfolded them, and forced them into the veld wearing only sandals.
TWO SCHOOLGIRLS RAPED AND STABBED
One man raped both girls en route to a river. At the river, a second man raped them again. After the rapes, one of the attackers instructed another to kill the girls.
The girls were stabbed repeatedly in the upper body and left for dead. When one girl tried to move, the group returned. She was stabbed again as one man told another to “finish her off.”
During the second stabbing, a cellphone alarm rang. One victim, pretending to be dead, saw Magwatane, her cousin’s boyfriend, trying to silence the phone.
EVADING ARREST FOR TWO YEARS
The attackers fled the scene. The girls lay bleeding in the veld for 30 minutes before helping each other to seek help. One house refused to help them.
At another, residents gave them blankets and called their parents. Both victims went to the ICU, underwent reconstructive surgery, and faced a long physical and emotional recovery.
Magwatane evaded arrest for almost two years. Police arrested him in Rustenburg in early 2024.
The court rejected any arguments for leniency. Magwatane will serve his sentences concurrently with the life terms. A second accused, Obakeng Mosesane, 25, remains in custody. The court set his trial for 2 July 2025. The judge separated the matters because Magwatane had absconded earlier.
What more can communities and authorities do to protect vulnerable individuals from crimes like kidnapping and sexual assault?
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