The Northern Cape provincial commissioner has welcomed the three life sentences that were recently handed down to child rapist Obakeng Witbooi, 28, by the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court.
NORTHERN Cape provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Koliswa Otola has welcomed the three life sentences that were recently handed down to child rapist Obakeng Witbooi, 28, by the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court.
Witbooi was sentenced on January 31 for raping three girls – aged 11, 12 and 14 years old – in Kimberley on November 7, 2016.
The incident took place during school hours after the three victims decided to leave the school premises and went to play in the veld next to their school in Kimberley.
Witbooi followed the girls to the veld, where he raped them before fleeing the scene.
The SAPS Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management unit investigated the scene and evidence was collected and sent for forensic testing.
DNA results linked Witbooi to the incident and he was arrested on October 4, 2020.
The police opposed bail and Witbooi remained in custody until his sentencing.
Otola reiterated that gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) is a priority crime for the Northern Cape SAPS and she lauded Warrant Officer Shaniel Antonie from the Kimberley Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit for her “meticulous investigation” that led to three life sentences being secured.
“May this be a stern warning to criminals who intend to commit similar crimes, that no impunity will be granted to perpetrators of GBVF in the Northern Cape,” said Otola.
