South African Police Service Mpumalanga and the NPA
The High Court of South Africa sitting in Klerksdorp court sentenced Kabelo Anderson Tserema (43) to life imprisonment. He was sentenced to double life imprisonment on two counts of rape, eight counts of rape sentenced to ten years on each count, twelve counts of robbery sentenced to fifteen years on each count, eleven counts of kidnapping sentenced to five years on each count and four counts of assault sentenced for six months on each count. The court ordered that all counts should run concurrently with the sentence of life imprisonment imposed on count one of life imprisonment.
The accused, Kabelo Anderson Tserema, was charged on eleven dockets with a total of 45 various counts of crimes such as rape, robbery with aggrivatting circumstances, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, kidnapping and pointing of firearm. Ten of these cases were registered in Mogwase and one in Phokeng between May 2013 and February 2016. Following a lengthy investigation, the accused was identified through forensic leads. He was arrested on 11 February 2020, and has been in custody since then.
The court heard that as part of committing the crimes, the accused would wait and attack women walking alone in the evening, then grab and drag them to the nearby bushes or graveyards. He would assualt, rape and rob his victims, who ranged from sixteen (16) to thirty-eight (38) years of their cash and cell phones. Most of the incidents occurred at Lerome and Welgeval villages near Moruleng.
In mitigating for hefty sentence, the Prosecutor, Advocate Nangamso Goloda said " It is an egregious state of affairs that more than two decades after the advent of our constitution which guarantees the rights to privacy, rights to bodily integrity and right to freedom of movement that there are people like Mr Tserema who make it their business to violate such rights against women in our society". He further said the accused person needs to be removed from society for life to protect the women of this country.
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When delivering the judgment, Judge Pieterson said the accused killed the victims emotionally and physically. Lieutenant General Kwena and Dr Rachel Makhari, hailed the Investigating Officer, Warrant Officer Ernest Modise and the Prosecutor, Nangamso Goloda and other role players including forensic investigators for their diligence that led to the conviction, and they believed that justice was served to the victims and their families. They urged members of the community to always be vigilant.
