A Brits serial rapist was sentenced to six life sentences in the Brits Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
Jacob Boas Kgatlane (41) was found guilty of 21 charges which include 10 counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, nine counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, and one count of kidnapping.
“Apart from the six life terms, he was also sentenced to an additional 150 years imprisonment on 15 charges that included robbery (10 years each), kidnapping, attempted rape and rape,” said police spokesperson Colonel Adele Myburgh.
The serial rapist was predominantly active in Letlhabile and Lethabong near Brits. “The crimes were committed over a period of five years between July 2009 and January 2013 and involved 15 female victims between the ages of 14 and 37. The accused would pounce on unsuspecting women in isolated areas, then rape and rob them. In the first case reported on Thursday, 30 July 2009 in Zone 6, Letlhabile, the court heard that Kgatlane grabbed a 16-year-old school girl who was walking to school. He threatened her with death and dragged her into the nearby bushes where he undressed and raped her. After the ordeal he robbed her of her stationery,|” Myburgh said.
In the last case reported on Sunday, 13 January 2013, a 32-year-old woman was jogging in Block B, Letlhabile, at about 06:50. Kgatlane approached the woman and volunteered to join her. He jogged with her, but when they approached a bushy area, he suddenly grabbed the woman by her neck, threatened to stab her with a knife and raped her. The victim was then robbed of her cellular phone.
Through DNA and other evidence obtained from the victims and their possessions, Kgatlane was identified and arrested on Wednesday, 14 August 2013. During the course of his court journey, he was not granted bail.
Commissioner of North West, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, thanked Sergeant Clifford Mokone of the Brits Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit for his excellent investigation and hard work that led to the conviction. He also thanked the prosecution and forensic experts for their roles in ensuring that the accused is incarcerated.