By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI 

A man (43) was sentenced double life imprisonment by the North West High Court sitting in Klerksdorp for two counts of rape. Kabelo Anderson Tserema was also sentenced to 80 years for eight counts of rape. 

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson, Sivenathi Gunya said Tserema was also sentenced to 15 years on each of 12 counts of robbery, 5 years on each of eleven counts of kidnapping and six months on each four counts of assault. 

“The court ordered that all counts should run concurrently with the sentence of life imprisonment imposed on count one of life imprisonment.

“Tserema was charged on eleven dockets with a total of 45 various counts of crimes such as rape, robbery with aggravating circumstances, assault with intent to do Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH), kidnapping and pointing of firearm,” he said. 

Gunya further said ten of these cases were registered in Mogwase and one in Phokeng between May 2013 and February 2016. He added that following a lengthy investigation, Tserema was identified through forensic leads. 

“He was arrested on 11 February 2020 and has been in custody since then. The court heard that as part of committing the crimes, the accused would wait and attack women walking alone in the evening, then grab and drag them to the nearby bushes or graveyards.  

“Tserema would assault, rape and rob his victims, who ranged from 16 to 38, of their cash and cell phones. Most of the incidents occurred at Lerome and Welgeval villages, near Moruleng,” said Gunya.

In mitigating for hefty sentence, the state prosecutor, Advocate Nangamso Goloda said: “It is an egregious state of affairs that more than two decades after the advent of our constitution, which guarantees the rights to privacy, rights to bodily integrity and right to freedom of movement that there are people like Tserema, who make it their business to violate such rights against women in our society.

“The accused person needs to be removed from society for life to protect the women of this country.”

When delivering the judgment, Judge Pieterson said the accused killed the victims emotionally and physically. 

Meanwhile, the North West Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena and DDP Head in North West, Dr Rachel Makhari, hailed the Investigating Officer, Warrant Officer Ernest Modise and Goloda and other role players including forensic investigators for their diligence that led to the conviction. They believe that justice was served to the victims and their families. 

Makhari and Kwena urged members of the community to always be vigilant.

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