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A 32-year-old man from Manapyane Village, Mahlatse Tolonyane Mathote Matebane, has been sentenced to 25 years of direct imprisonment by the Polokwane High Court for a string of violent crimes committed across the Sekhukhune District between 2020 and 2023.
Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said Matebane was convicted on nine counts, including rape, attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, housebreaking with intent to rape, and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
“The sentence follows extensive investigations conducted by Detective Sergeant Raymond Phago, attached to the Sekhukhune District Investigation and Tracking Task Team, who successfully linked the accused to several cases of rape, attempted murder, robbery, housebreaking, and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition,” said Ledwaba.
The crimes took place in the Motetema, Rakgoadi, and Dennilton policing areas. On August 10, 2020, a 20-year-old woman from Motetema was attacked while returning from a local tuckshop.
Matebane accused her of reporting him to the police, dragged her into nearby bushes, threatened to kill her, and raped her.
A month later, on September 15, 2020, an 18-year-old schoolgirl from Mamphokgo Village was hitchhiking to Moeding Village to write her trial examinations when the accused confronted her with a firearm, forced her into nearby bushes, and raped her before fleeing into the mountains.
In another case on February 13, 2021, a 32-year-old man was shot several times by Matebane at a tuckshop in Mafisheng Village after an argument. The victim managed to escape and seek medical attention despite multiple gunshot wounds.
Ledwaba said through “persistent investigation and the collection of critical evidence,” Sergeant Phago managed to connect the accused to several additional offences.
On Thursday, October 30, 2025, the Polokwane High Court sentenced Matebane to a total of 125 years’ imprisonment.
However, the court ordered that counts two to nine run concurrently with count one, resulting in an effective sentence of 25 years’ direct imprisonment.
Acting Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Major General Jan Scheepers, commended the investigation team for their work, saying the outcome reflected the SAPS’s stance on violent crimes.
“This sentencing sends a clear message that gender-based violence and acts of brutality will not be tolerated.
”The dedication of our investigators in linking the accused to multiple cases is commendable and demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting vulnerable members of our communities,” he said.
hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za
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