A 62-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the rape of a 37-year-old woman in Makotse village near Lebowakgomo, more than a year after the attack, following DNA forensic analysis that linked him to the crime.
Limpopo police’s Brig Hlulani Mashaba said the woman was walking near Mosepedi school at about 11.30am on January 13 2025 when she was confronted by an unknown man armed with a knife.
She was threatened, assaulted and raped before the suspect fled with her cellphone.
According to Mashaba, the suspect had allegedly committed a similar rape the previous day, January 12 2025, at Motantanyane village.
He was arrested on January 14 2025 at about 7.50pm after the rape in Makotse village. During that arrest, police found him in possession of a firearm, which was confiscated.
The man appeared in court shortly after his arrest last year and was granted bail. Police said he later relocated to the Mokopane policing area, where he worked as a security guard at a brickyard owned by a family member.
Mashaba said, at the time of the incident, the suspect was unknown to the victim. However, further investigations, including DNA forensic analysis, later positively linked the man to the rape of the 37-year-old woman.
On Wednesday, members of the Lebowakgomo Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit conducted an operation and traced the suspect in the Mokopane policing area, where he was arrested.
He is expected to appear before the Thabamoopo magistrate’s court on Friday, facing a charge of rape.
Police said investigations were continuing.
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