The acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in the Northern Cape, Major General Henriëtte de Waal, welcomed the life imprisonment as well as 26 years of incarceration handed down to the 32-year old rapist Tshepiso Godfrey Oliphant on 13 January 2021 in the Kuruman Regional Court.

The first rape occurred on 14 December 2012, when the 18-year old victim was lured by the accused to Promise Land in Mothibistad where he took her to an open field and raped her twice. He also robbed her of her cellphone valued at R2000 and money. He left her and fled the scene. The victim was able to report the incident and received medical treatment.

The second incident occurred on 12 July 2013 when the 29-year old victim met the accused at the hiking spot next to the Kuruman Magistrate Court. Both the victim and accused got into the same vehicle and he got out with the victim. He then grabbed her and dragged her into an abandoned house where he raped her twice and also stole her cellphone valued at R3000 and cash.

The accused, Tshepiso Oliphant was arrested on 11 September 2013 and received bail. He absconded and was re-arrested on 09 September 2020 and linked to both cases with DNA. He was detained until the finalisation of the investigation and was sentenced as follows:

Count 1 Rape 10 years prison sentence. Count 2 Rape 10 years prison sentence. Count 3 Robbery 3 years. Count 4 Rape and life imprisonment. Count 5 Robbery 3 years.

His name was also recorded in the National Sexual Offences Register and he was declared unfit to possess a fire arm.

SAPS