The Provincial Commissioner of the Northern Cape, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola, welcomed the life sentence imposed on 25-year-old Thato Lekgoe for the rape of an 87-year-old visually impaired woman in Boithithong, near Kuruman.
Lekgoe was sentenced in the Mothibistad Regional Court on Tuesday, 24 March 2026.
According to information presented in court, the victim had gone to bed with her two grandchildren on the evening of Friday, 01 February 2024, when she heard a window being broken and forced open.
The perpetrator gained entry into the house, threatened the victim with a knife, and forced her to feel the sharp object, taking advantage of her visual impairment and further threatened to kill her if she screamed.
Fearing for her life, the victim remained silent while the accused proceeded to undress and repeatedly raped her. After the incident, the perpetrator used the torch on his cellphone to illuminate the room while searching for his clothes.
This enabled the two grandchildren to see his face and recognise him as a known person from the area, who resides not far from the victim’s home.
The police were alerted and responded to the scene, where preliminary investigations were conducted. The suspect fled the area.
A case of housebreaking with intent to rape and rape was registered at Boithithong Police Station.
The investigation was assigned to Sergeant Lebogang Serati of the Kuruman Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, who traced the accused to Cassel Village.
The accused was positively linked to the crime through forensic evidence. He appeared in the Mothibistad Regional Court , where he was ultimately convicted and sentenced on Tuesday, 24 March 2026.
The court further ordered that the accused’s name be recorded in the National Register for Sexual Offenders and declared him unfit hto possess a firearm, and also found him unsuitable to work with vulnerable persons.
Lieutenant General Otola commended Sergeant Serati for the thorough investigation and strongly condemned the actions of the accused.
“It is deeply disturbing that someone known to the family would commit such a heinous act against a vulnerable elderly woman. Such behaviour will not be tolerated and we urge communities to stand together and help protect the defenceless persons of society,” said Lieutenant General Otola.
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