Two life sentences for man who raped and stabbed schoolgirls
A 33-year-old man received two life sentences plus 45 years for brutally raping, kidnapping, and attempting to murder two schoolgirls in Dithakong village near Mothibistad, Northern Cape.
The Mothibistad Regional Court found Thabo Magwatane guilty on seven charges.
The charges include housebreaking with intent to steal, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of rape, and two counts of attempted murder.
According to the NPA, Magwatane and three accomplices broke into a home on 23 February 2022. Two matric learners, aged 17 and 18, lived there to attend school. The attackers cut the power and demanded cash and phones before stealing R100 and two cellphones.
They then stripped the victims naked, blindfolded them, and forced them into the veld wearing only sandals.
One man raped both girls en route to a river. At the river, a second man raped them again. After the rapes, one of the attackers instructed another to kill the girls.
The girls were stabbed repeatedly in the upper body and left for dead. When one girl tried to move, the group returned. She was stabbed again as one man told another to 'finish her off.'
During the second stabbing, a cellphone alarm rang. One victim, pretending to be dead, saw Magwatane, her cousin's boyfriend, trying to silence the phone.
The attackers fled the scene. The girls lay bleeding in the veld for 30 minutes before helping each other to seek help. One house refused to help them.
At another, residents gave them blankets and called their parents. Both victims went to the ICU, underwent reconstructive surgery, and faced a long physical and emotional recovery.
Magwatane evaded arrest for almost two years. Police arrested him in Rustenburg in early 2024.
The court rejected any arguments for leniency. Magwatane will serve his sentences concurrently with the life terms. A second accused, Obakeng Mosesane, 25, remains in custody. The court set his trial for 2 July 2025. The judge separated the matters because Magwatane had absconded earlier.
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eyewitness News
3 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
State prepping to argue appeal against Omotoso acquittal in open court, reveals Batohi
CAPE TOWN - National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) head Shamila Batohi says the State is preparing to argue its first step in the appeal against the judgement in the Timothy Omotoso human trafficking and sex crimes trial in open court. Batohi has revealed in Parliament that in an unprecedented move, Judge Irma Schoeman has asked the State to make oral arguments in its appeal seeking clarity on the factual findings of the judgement. The Nigerian pastor was acquitted in April after nearly eight years in court, leaving the country shortly afterwards. Batohi has told Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) on Wednesday that while the case had been a setback in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) cases, all is not yet lost. Batohi has been facing increasing pressure to step down following the acquittal of Omotoso, and the court's criticism of the conduct of prosecutors in the case. The NPA launched an appeal in May and Batohi has on Wednesday told Parliament that there's been movement in the case. 'Quite unusually, the judge has now asked that we actually argue this matter in court, which has never been done before.' Batohi said only once the factual findings have been clarified, will the NPA be able to take the next step to outline the legal basis for its appeal. 'I would urge that we wait until the appeal to then decide whether the prosecutors in fact botched the matter.' Batohi said a prosecutor involved in the Omotoso case was subsequently removed from another high-profile matter involving Fort Hare University. Batohi said the Omotoso acquittal has overshadowed all the good work the NPA has done to achieve convictions in sexual crime cases.
The Citizen
3 hours ago
- The Citizen
Hawks, NPA explain why corruption investigations, prosecutions take long
The Hawks has to outsource certain skills to handle complex investigations due to internal capacity constraints. Members of Parliament (MPs) at the Good Hope Chamber on 5 May 2025 in Cape Town. Picture: Gallo Images/ER Lombard The Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) have explained the delays in investigating and prosecuting corruption cases to Parliament, citing challenges such as limited resources and complex legal processes. On Wednesday, officials from the NPA and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) appeared before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa). They provided an update on corruption cases referred by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU). SIU referrals to Hawks During the meeting, SIU head Andy Mothibi clarified that the unit refers matters to the NPA only when it believes that the evidence suggests criminal conduct. 'Whether it meets the criminal standard or not is for the NPA to decide,' he said. Mothibi noted that 3 374 referrals had been made over a five-year period between April 2020 and May of this year. These referrals often involve multiple individuals or companies. Mmeli Makinyane, component head of the Hawks' serious commercial crime, indicated that the DPCI had processed 355 dockets originating from SIU referrals. ALSO READ: Lawyer, plumber and then security professional: Inside the elaborate cons of scammers nabbed by the Hawks He stated that 58 of these cases are currently before the courts, 96 dockets are awaiting a decision from the NPA, and 201 are still under investigation. According to Makinyane, 72 cases have resulted in guilty verdicts, while one ended in acquittal. The NPA declined to prosecute 15 cases due to either insufficient evidence or poor prospects of success. Makinyane further explained that these cases involved various government departments and state-owned entities, including Denel, Eskom, and several municipalities. Watch the meeting below: Many of the cases are tied to allegations of fraud, theft, corruption, and related offences. A significant number of the referrals came from the Department of Higher Education and related to fraudulent applications to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas). He added that four cases linked to state capture had been investigated, one of which led to a conviction. In relation to Covid-19, the Hawks received 93 referrals from the SIU. Of these, 22 are now in court, 12 have been submitted to the NPA, and 59 are still under active investigation. Skills gaps continue to hamper Hawks investigations Makinyane conceded that the Hawks had to outsource certain skills to handle complex investigations due to internal capacity constraints. 'The issue of resources always comes and hits us hard when we get to the time that we take in finalising our matters,' he told MPs. Patrick Mbotho, Hawks' divisional commissioner for national priority offences, pointed out that the DPCI's forensic accounting capacity is 'very limited' and that the recruitment of the required skills is often slow. 'Our procurement is not the fastest,' he said. He also mentioned that delays in declassifying documents posed additional hurdles. 'These are the kind of challenges that we sometimes face.' NPA faces constraints in prosecution processes National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Shamila Batohi addressed the limitations faced by the NPA once it receives cases. She informed the committee that most matters are referred to the Hawks for further investigation, as the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) lacks the necessary capacity. 'IDAC is a very small part of the work in any event. There's still a large number that goes to the DPCI,' she said. Batohi stressed the difference between criminal and civil standards of proof. 'There are still investigations that need to be done in order to meet the criminal standard so that we can make the decision to prosecute.' ALSO READ: Shamila Batohi's been in the job for 6 years. Here's how many high-profile convictions she's secured She also revealed that a digital evidence unit had been established within IDAC to improve analysis of electronic evidence. 'The capacity is still small, but this is potentially something that is a game changer,' she said. Batohi emphasised that digital devices like phones and laptops are now critical sources of evidence and require rare, expensive skills that have been 'delaying a lot of these cases'. She clarified that while Directors of Public Prosecutions (DPPs) in each province are authorised to make decisions on prosecutions, the NDPP only intervenes in specific cases. 'An NDPP is a review mechanism that can review decisions of DPPs in various circumstances.' NPA explains delays in cases IDAC's chief director of investigation and information management, Matthews Sesoko, told MPs that the nature of the investigations contributes to the delays. He further highlighted that since the unit's establishment in August last year, recruitment efforts had struggled to attract individuals with the necessary skills. 'That on its own takes time for us to be properly capacitated to move quicker with our investigations.' Sesoko said many of the cases under investigation involve Eskom and Transnet contracts. Some of these cases are already in court, but others have been pending for extended periods due to the number of accused. READ MORE: 'Unacceptable': Judiciary budget constraints, shortage of judges and backlogs 'The accused persons will lodge interlocutory applications which we will have to respond to and that itself lengthens the cases. 'The accused persons will also, from time to time, change legal representations and that also delays matters moving forward.' Nkebe Kanyane, Special Director of Public Prosecutions from the Special Commercial Crime Unit, explained that most of the postponements were not caused by the state. 'There were cases where of course the docket was not in court so that is the state's fault,' she remarked. Kanyane revealed that the NPA had collected nationwide court data to determine reasons for delays. Infrastructure issues such as load shedding and water shortages, along with the unavailability of prosecutors, presiding officers, defence counsel, or the accused, were among the reasons identified. She added that there were 74 cases in which the NPA had declined to prosecute. Civil recovery Batohi spoke about the value of civil recovery through the Asset Forfeiture Unit, describing it as an effective tool in the fight against corruption. She clarified that civil recovery allowed the state to reclaim funds without needing a criminal conviction, particularly when companies disclose their involvement and cooperate with investigators. 'Individual persons are still subject to prosecution, but the benefit of the resolution is that the corporate agrees to actually work with the investigators to provide evidence against individuals.' Batohi also raised concerns about witness protection, which she identified as a key barrier to successful prosecutions. 'People coming forward to speak out against corruption put their lives at stake,' she said. She acknowledged the NPA's difficulties in retaining skilled professionals, citing competition from the SIU and South African Revenue Service. NOW READ: A national embarrassment? 'Scorpions 2.0' bill pitched to save failing NPA
The Citizen
3 hours ago
- The Citizen
Batohi not worried about Omotoso's deportation as NPA plans to bring Gupta brothers back to SA
She expressed hope that the Nigerian pastor could be returned to South Africa if the NPA's appeal is successful. National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) Shamila Batohi says the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is committed to bringing back Nigerian pastor Timothy Omotoso and the Gupta brothers to face justice. Batohi appeared before Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) on Wednesday, where she faced tough questions about the NPA's performance in handling high-profile corruption and criminal cases. ALSO READ: 'There is no state capture in NPA': Ramaphosa to meet Batohi after infiltration claims The failure of the South African government to secure the extradition of Atul and Rajesh Gupta from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) continues to cast a shadow over the NPA's efforts to prosecute state capture cases. The NPA has also recently come under intense public scrutiny following the acquittal of Omotoso and his two co-accused in a rape trial that spanned eight years. Gupta brothers' extradition During the meeting, Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) head Andrea Johnson rejected any suggestion that the South African government had mishandled previous efforts to bring the Gupta brothers back to the country to face several charges. She explained that the government has yet to receive a response from the UAE clarifying the reasons for the extradition request being denied. 'When the UAE decided not to extradite the Guptas, we wrote to them; 12 note verbales later, we still don't have any response from the UAE about why the extradition failed. Safe to say that they have asked us to resubmit,' Johnson said. READ MORE: A national embarrassment? 'Scorpions 2.0' bill pitched to save failing NPA 'How do you resubmit when you've submitted a full set of papers that have been properly checked, even by themselves?' 'It does put you in somewhat of a predicament – do you send these papers so that they are a so-called 'failed attempt' again?' Johnson confirmed that a new extradition request would be submitted for the Gupta brothers to the UAE. 'We've taken a decision to submit new applications with additional matters. The country also can't wait while the NPA has to follow legal processes.' 'So, having taken that into account, the public interest, and the interest of justice, we'll submit new applications not just on the Estina and Nulane matters. We're going to apply for extraditions in relation to other state capture matters.' Watch the meeting below: The Gupta brothers, who were arrested in Dubai in 2022, stand accused of playing a central role in state capture during former president Jacob Zuma's tenure. One of the key cases in which they are implicated is the Nulane Investment fraud case and Vrede Dairy Farm matter. Batohi explains NPA's appeal on Omotoso Later in the meeting, Batohi told the committee that while the NPA is appealing Omotoso's acquittal, the process could take years. She also downplayed public concern following Omotoso's deportation last month. The NDPP explained that if the televangelist had remained in South Africa as a free man, it could have further distressed his victims, who have already expressed their disappointment with the outcome of the trial. 'The fact that he has had to flee from South Africa means he has not been able to live his life the way that he would like to.' READ MORE: Batohi explains why NPA did not investigate prosecutors in 2021 Omotoso trial Batohi expressed hope that Omotoso could be returned to face justice if the appeal is successful. 'Nigeria is a country that we do have an extradition treaty with, and they are also multi-lateral treaties that we can draw on to hopefully bring him back when we do.' 'We have been successful with many extradition applications across the world. The UAE is the one that sticks out, and we have had challenges with that.' She added that the NPA would await the outcome of the appeal process. Batohi defended the institution, urging the public 'not to lose faith' in the country's prosecutorial system amid growing criticism of the NPA's handling of high-profile cases – the corruption case involving former Cabinet minister Zizi Kodwa.
