BLOEMFONTEIN – A young Bloemfontein man, Jeremia Sekgoko Tsoanyane (30), convicted of rape incidents involving a knife at the graveyard, will spend the rest of his life in prison. The Free State High Court Judge, C Van Zyl, sentenced the accused to two life terms in prison, plus an additional 40 years during sentencing proceedings yesterday, 12 March.
Sentencing took place at the High Court sitting in Bloemfontein, after the accused was found guilty on charges of kidnapping and rape.
Sgt Sinah Mpakane, provincial spokesperson for the Free State police, said the outcome was based on compelling evidence arising from an investigation into rape cases involving three minors who were attending school at the time. She said additional evidence included testimony from the victims.
“It was discovered during the trial that the modus operandi for all cases at the Phahameng Cemetery was similar. Judge Van Zyl managed to link the accused to all the cases, and the accused pleaded guilty,” said Mpakane.
She said the investigations revealed that Tsoanyane, who resides in Peter Swart settlement in Bloemfontein, had been targeting women using the footpath through the graveyard between 2021 and 2023. The incidents occurred between 06:00 and 08:00 at separate places. The victims include three teenage girls, then aged 16 and 17, who were on their way to school in 2021 and 2022. Two other victims, then aged 25 and 28, were raped in 2022 and 2023.
“The 16-year-old victim testified in court that on 23 August 2021, at about 07:30, the suspect called her by her name, which he might have seen written on her school bag. He then threatened her with a knife, grabbed her and dragged her to the trees where he raped her,” said Mpakane. She said both 17-year-old victims testified that the accused threatened them with a knife, then grabbed and dragged them out of the cemetery to a secluded area near the factories where he forcefully undressed them and raped them.
Mpakane said the 25-year-old victim testified that on 30 July 2022, she was approached by an unknown African male wearing a mask, who threatened her with a knife. “He took her to the other side of the graveyard where he undressed and raped her,” she said.
After a guilty verdict on charges of kidnapping and rape in the four rape cases, the High Court sentenced Tsoanyane as follows:
Count 1: five years imprisonment
Count 2: life imprisonment
Count 3: five years imprisonment
Count 4: life imprisonment
Count 5: five years imprisonment
Count 6: ten years imprisonment
Count 7: five years imprisonment
Count 8: ten years imprisonment
Mpakane said Tsoanyane was already serving 20 years in prison after sentenced for raping a woman, then aged 28, in 2023. She said the accused was sentenced on 29 January 2024. “The victim received a call from the accused who promised to find work for her. They arranged to meet for the suspect to take her to the “new workplace”. In stead, she was lured to an open field, where he threatened her with a knife and raped her,” said Mpakane.
