Justice might soon be done after the rape of five people in the Phahameng Cemetry from 2021 to 2022 during times of the Covid pandemic.
The Mangaung Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) made a breakthrough in the case when they linked a suspect in five separate rape cases.
The 26-year-old suspect was apprehended last year on two separate rape cases around Heidedal. During his arrest, a DNA sample of him was taken as part of the investigation. During last week, Mangaung FCS received laboratory results from the forensic science laboratory and linked him to five rape cases that were committed at the Phahameng cemetery.
From 2021 to 2022, five rape cases were reported to Mangaung FCS. Victims were walking to schools or work between 06:00 and 08:00 passing the Phahameng cemetry. The victims, then aged between 16 and 22, reported that a masked perpetrator threatened them with a weapon, forced them into the cemetery and allegedly raped them on different dates. As it was during the Covid era, the victim could not identify the suspect because he was wearing a mask.
The apprehended suspect is expected to appear before Bloemfontein Magistrates’ Court facing five charges of rape soon.
