A 37-year-old Northern Cape man was sentenced to life imprisonment by the De Aar Regional Court for raping a disabled woman.
RAPE accused Xolani Plaatjies, 37, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the De Aar Regional Court on Tuesday following his conviction for raping a disabled woman.
Northern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Molefi Shemane said the 25-year-old woman was walking home in Barcelona, Sunrise, on March 10, 2023, at around 11.30pm, when she was dragged into a vacant house.
“The accused forced her into the toilet, threatened her with a knife and raped her.”
Shemane said Plaatjies was arrested on March 16, 2023, and remained in custody for the duration of his trial.
“He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for rape and was declared unfit to possess a firearm. His name is to be entered in the national register for sex offenders.”
The provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Koliswa Otola, welcomed the sentence handed down and applauded the investigation officer, Detective Sergeant IIze Fan, for “ensuring that justice was served”.
