A 30-year-old man who spent part of his life kidnapping and then raping women in a cemetery will spend the next thirty years of his life in prison.
According to police, Jeremiah Sekgoko Tsoanyane was arrested after piecing together four separate events, all of which linked him as a suspect.
In August 2021, a 16-year-old was on her way to school using Magengenene cemetery as a passage when Tsoanyane called her and raped her.
She told the Free State High Court in Bloemfontein that she suspected Tsoanyane had seen her name on her school bag.
Tsoanyane threatened the teenager with a knife, dragged her to nearby trees and raped her.
Also in January 2022, a 17-year-old girl was on her way to school when the suspect grabbed her and dragged her from the cemetery to nearby factories, where he then stripped and raped her.
That same day, Tsoanyane raped another 17-year-old who was also on his way to school.
Police said a fourth victim, a 25-year-old, told the court she was on her way to see her father, who was also walking through the cemetery, when she was approached by a man wearing a mask.
Tsoanyane threatened the woman and raped her.
A year later, Tsoanyane contacted a woman and told her he could find her work.
“They agreed so that the suspect could take her to the new workplace. Unfortunately, the suspect lured the victim to the open field, where he threatened her with a knife and raped her,” police said.
In March 2023, Tsoanyane tracked his next victim and her boyfriend. He told them he could find her work, but he lured the woman into a field and raped her.
“The thorough investigation conducted by the Investigating Officer, Sergeant Molefi, under the leadership of Public Prosecutor, Advocate Choane, with the evidence presented to the Honorable Judge C. Van Zyl, has succeeded in linking the suspect to all the cases in which the suspect decided to plead guilty,” the police said.
Tsoanyane received two life sentences and a total of 40 years in prison.
IOL
Se-Anne Rall
iol.co.za