Thohoyandou High Court in Vhembe District sentenced a 35-year-old Mikovhe Vincent Makhavhu to two life terms imprisonment and an additional 60 years' for rape, compelled sexual assault, and robbery aggravating circumstances on Tuesday 22 October 2024.
The court noted that between March 2020 and December 2020, Vincent targeted young women between the ages of 13 and 26 of around Thohoyando and surroundings on Facebook who had challenges in life and relationships, promising that their challenges would go away after he cleansed them at the river, as he pretended to be prophet, and raped them.
On Wednesday, 18 March 2020, the accused met with a female victim, a 13 year-old who was with her friend, a 15-year-old male at Phiphidi village. He forced them with a knife into the nearby bushes, where he instructed the boy to rape the victim when he refused he threatened him with a firearm. Afterwards, he raped the victim and robbed them of their cellphones before fleeing the scene.
On the second incident, all three victims, ages 22 and 26, were messaged privately by the accused on Facebook, who pretended to be a prophet. He would meet them in a secluded place and offer to cleanse them in the river. After agreeing to be cleansed, he would take them to the river and rape them.
Several cases were opened at Thohoyandou Police Station and dockets were transferred to Family Violence and Child Protection Unit.
Cases were assigned to Detective Sergeant Manthakha Khorommbi Patrick, who commenced with the investigation. The investigations led Sergeant Manthakha to Gauteng Province, Krugerdrop (Peacock Squatter Camp), where the accused was arrested on 02 June 2021.
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The accused was denied bail and positively linked with the cases through investigative forensic leads.
On Tuesday, 22 October 2024, the accused appeared before Thohoyandou High Court, and was found guilty and sentenced as follows:
Count 1 Rape: 1 life imprisonment
Count 2 Rape: 15 years'
Count 3 Rape: 15 years'
Count 4 Rape: 1 life term imprisonment
Count 5 Compelled sexual assault: 15 years'
Count 6 Robbery aggravating circumstances: 15 years'
The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, welcomed the sentencing and commended the investigating officer Sergeant Manthakha Khorommbi for the meticulous collection and presentation of evidence, noting that the sentence reaffirms the commitment to protection of vulnerable at all times.
The court ordered the culminated 60 years' to run concurrently with the two life terms.
