Thabang Joel Makgopa, 32, and Arone Makhubele, 34, from Limpopo, South Africa, have been sentenced to a combined four life sentences and 39 years imprisonment for their brutal crimes against two teenagers.
The horrifying incident took place on 25 March 2017 when the two teenagers, a boy and a girl both aged 17, were walking on a street in a village in the Tzaneen policing area. Makgopa and Makhubele attacked the teenagers, robbing the boy of his cell phone and forcing both victims to the local sports ground.
The criminals then took turns raping the girl while forcing the boy to watch. They later instructed the boy to have sexual intercourse with his friend. After the assaults, the accused further assaulted the male victim and coerced the teenage girl to assault him as well. The victims reported the incident to their families, and the police opened cases of rape, compelled rape, robbery, and assault.
Sergeant Glenda Mathebula of the Tzaneen Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offenses Unit led the investigation, gathering evidence and locating a witness who helped identify the accused. Makhubele was also linked to the rape through DNA evidence.
The accused were denied bail and were ultimately convicted and sentenced by the Lenyenye Regional Court on Monday, 19 February 2024.
The sentences include a double life imprisonment for both accused of rape and compelled rape, 10 years imprisonment for causing children to witness a sexual offence, and 5 years imprisonment for assault.
Additionally, Thabang Makgopa received an effective 10 years imprisonment for two counts of robbery, and Arone Makhubele received an effective 14 years imprisonment for two counts of robbery.
Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe commended the outcome, stating, “This is a milestone achievement for our province as two of the ruthless criminals were removed from society. These victims endured a very traumatising incident, and we hope they will now have peace knowing the perpetrators are removed from society.”