Police said the armed man grabbed eight students, led four into a passage and raped them before fleeing on foot.
Image: File
Two men aged 18 and 24 are expected to appear before the Kgapane Magistrate's Court on Friday, facing charges of possession of suspected stolen property, four counts of rape, and business robbery committed at a student campus located in Phaphadi village, under the Bolobedu policing area.
The attack on the campus occurred on February 22 at around midnight.
“The suspects were arrested following a joint operation executed by the Mopani tracking team and Tzaneen family violence child protection and sexual offences unit (FCS),” according to Limpopo provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba.
On a Saturday night, February 22, an unknown African man intruded into the residential area where female students from one college reside.
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“He grabbed eight of them at gunpoint, led four of them into a passage, and ultimately raped them. Afterward, he robbed them of their cellphones before fleeing the scene on foot,” said Mashaba.
The victims reported the matter to the police for further investigations.
A mobile phone stolen from one of the raped students to the arrest of two men and the recovery of more mobile phones.
Image: SAPS
On Tuesday, police located one of the suspects at Bellview village. The man was found in possession of one of the mobile phones which were stolen from the college students.
“He was unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for the possession of the cellphone and was arrested on the spot. Further information led members to another address where the second African male was discovered. Upon searching his house, multiple cellphones and a bank card belonging to one of the victims were found hidden under the bed,” said Mashaba.
The second man was also arrested for possession of suspected stolen property. Both suspects are detained at Bolobedu police station in Limpopo.
Police said mobile phones belonging to the robbed students have been positively identified.
“Police are urging the community around Bolobedu policing area who have lost or were robbed of their cellphones to come forward to identify them or to contact the investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Dalton Makhubela on 082 414 6043 or 082 414 2953. They can also visit the Bolobedu police station,” said Mashaba.
Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has applauded the investigating team “for their sterling job in ensuring that perpetrators of sexual violence are brought to book to face the full might of law”.
Last month, IOL reported that a 60-year-old man from Limpopo was sentenced to life imprisonment for the rape and prolonged abuse of his stepdaughter, following a harrowing trial at the Groblersdal Regional Court.
At the time, Limpopo police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the court heard that the abuse began in 2001 when the victim was just 11 years old.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
IOL
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