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A prison guard stands behind bars in a file photo.
A man convicted of robbing, kidnapping, raping and attempting to kill two matric learners has been handed two life sentences and an additional 45 years by the Mothibistad Regional Court in the Northern Cape.
33-year-old Thabo Magwatane and his co-accused, who is still in trial, broke into matric learners’ residence in 2022.
They robbed them, blindfolded them and took them to a nearby river where they raped them repeatedly and attempted to kill them.
Provincial NPA spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane says accused number 1 has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
“33-year-old man who brutally raped and tried to murder two matric girls has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Mothibistad Regional Court. Thabo Gift Magwatane and his accomplice attacked the learners in Dithakong village near Mothibistad in 2022. The girls survived this brutal attack. The National Prosecuting Authority commends their bravery and reaffirms its commitment to fighting gender-based violence.”
