Johannesburg - A 32-year-old man was handed four life sentences by the Taung Regional Court on Tuesday for a number of housebreakings during which he also raped several women.
Lebogang Nyoka, who has been found guilty of the rapes and housebreaking and theft cases, was tracked down through DNA evidence after police noticed the similarities between the modus operandi used in the cases.
According to Lieutenant Sergio Kock, the accused broke into a home on September 14, 2014, where two women, aged 64 and 12, were sleeping.
The accused raped them and fled from the premises with a laptop.
The following evening, Nyoka broke into another house in Pampierstad, raped a 40-year-old woman, and then fled with a television set.
The accused broke into the third house on October 7, 2014 and was arrested shortly after that incident.
The court has also added a13-year term of imprisonment to the sentence, which will run concurrently with the life sentences.
Acting Deputy Provincial Commissioner for Crime Detection Brigadier Nicky Mills has welcomed the sentence and commended the investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Gloria Sehako from the Jan Kempdorp Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, for thoroughly investigating the cases.
This sentence comes only days after Stats SA revealed there had been a surge in housebreakings, which had been experienced by close to a million households all over the country.
“The SAPS will continue undoubtedly and stay focused on crimes against women and children, as this is one of our priorities, especially as we are celebrating Women's Month,” said Brigadier Mills.
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