The acting provincial commissioner of the SAPS in the Northern Cape, Major-General Luntu Ngubelanga, has welcomed the hefty prison sentence recently handed down to a 49-year-old man by the Kimberley Regional Court for an array of GBVF-related crimes.
THE ACTING provincial commissioner of the SAPS in the Northern Cape, Major-General Luntu Ngubelanga, has welcomed the significant prison sentence recently handed down to Themba Dipheko, 49, by the Kimberley Regional Court.
Dipheko was convicted of multiple gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) crimes, including rape, kidnapping, and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH).
According to provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Sergio Kock, the first incident occurred in the early hours of February 27, 2010. A 13-year-old girl and her friend were on their way home in Galeshewe when they were accosted by Dipheko. He forcibly took the girl to a nearby house, where he raped her at knife-point before fleeing the scene.
In a separate incident on September 27, 2015, Dipheko encountered his ex-girlfriend, 46, on a street in Galeshewe and, without provocation, stabbed her in the face.
The two cases were combined in court and Dipheko was found guilty and sentenced as follows:
- Rape – 25 years imprisonment
- Kidnapping – 5 years imprisonment
- Assault GBH – 8 years imprisonment
The sentences will run concurrently, and Dipheko’s name will be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.
Major-General Ngubelanga praised Detective Sergeant Simphiwe Mdunge of the Provincial Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations unit for his unwavering dedication in securing the substantial sentence during Women’s Month.
Ngubelanga emphasised that SAPS detectives will continue to rigorously investigate all contact crimes to ensure justice for victims.
