A 25-year-old man will appear in Lenyenye’s Maake Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo to face charges of kidnapping and extortion.
This development occurred after the SA Police Service’s provincial organised unit arrested the suspect on Wednesday for the crimes that took place in Tlhabine village last Thursday.
“Two men aged 41 and 43 were travelling from Polokwane to Tzaneen in a blue Ford Ranger when they were hijacked and kidnapped by an unknown group of males in Tlhabine village,” said Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba.
“The suspects later called the victims’ families and demanded a ransom, for which they received an undisclosed amount.
“The matter was reported to the police, and later the victims’ vehicle was recovered at a car wash in Lenyenye township under the Maake policing area. Fortunately, both victims were released unharmed in Lenyenye.”
After thorough investigations, he continued, one of the suspects was taken into custody at his home in Bokgaga village, Maake policing area, on Wednesday.
Bank cards and other items belonging to the victims were discovered in his possession.
“The suspect is expected to appear before the Maake Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, August 28, facing charges of kidnapping and extortion,” said Ledwaba.
Seshego rapist punished
In another case, a police detective from the Seshego family violence, child protection, and sexual offences unit was able to secure a 30-year prison sentence for a 28-year-old man who was accused of raping three teenage girls in Ga-Matlala and Seshego in September 2022.
The Polokwane High Court handed down the sentence on Tuesday.
According to the court, the accused, Freddy Moraka Modibedi, sexually assaulted the girls, who were between the ages of 15 and 17, in separate incidents at the villages of Mmotong, Ga-Mabotja, Mpone, and Boratapelo outside of Polokwane between September 3 and September 17, 2022.
The accused would meet young girls whom he did not know, threaten them with a knife, rob them of their belongings, and then rape them.
Police in Matlala and Seshego were notified of these three incidents. The dockets were moved to the Seshego unit for sexual offences, family violence, and child protection.
After nearly a year on the run, the suspect was apprehended following an exceptional investigation.
The cases were positively associated with him. He was remanded in custody after appearing before the Seshego and Matlala magistrate’s courts.
He was found guilty and given a 30-year prison sentence after the case was later moved to the Polokwane High Court.
