POLOKWANE – Evans Killer Ramahlo, a 28-year-old male, was sentenced to 102 years in prison by the Polokwane Division of High Court in Limpopo on 30 October 2023 for robbery with firearms and rape.
According to South Africa Police Service, between January 2021 and November 2021, in Motupa village Bolobedu South, Tzaneen policing area, two armed males terrorized communities. They targeted couples walking in the village at night, robbing them of cellphones and other belongings, and raping female victims in front of their male partners. They also targeted couples in motor vehicles, robbing them and compelling male victims to engage in sexual activity with female victims after raping them.
Cases of robbery with aggravating circumstances and rape were filed. The case was subsequently transferred to the Tzaneen Family Violence, Children Protection, and Sexual Offenses Unit. Sergeant Glenda Mathebula investigated the case with help from the Tzaneen tracing team. They managed to gather information that led to the recovery of one of the victim’s cellphones and eventually to the arrest of the accused on 14 February 2022. The investigating officer opposed bail until the conviction and subsequent sentencing.
DNA evidence linked the accused to three other similar cases in the same area. The court handed down the following sentences:
Four counts of robberies with aggravating circumstances: 13 years’ imprisonment each.
Two counts of rape: 25 years’ imprisonment each, with 5 years wholly suspended for a period of 5 years on the condition that the accused is not convicted of another rape offense during that time.
The sentences for robbery and rape will run concurrently. Additionally, the accused has been declared unfit to possess a firearm under Section 103(1) of Act 60 of 2000 (the Firearms Control Act).
Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, the Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, welcomed the sentence. “We welcome the lengthy sentence imposed on this criminal. The sentence will go a long way in restoring trust in the Criminal Justice System, especially as the country is about to observe the 16 Days of Activism campaign for no violence against women and children,” said Lt Gen Thembi Hadebe.