Limpopo – The Burgersfort Regional Court has convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment a Limpopo man who dragged a 15-year-old girl to the bushes and raped her.
Katlego Willinton Matjipa (29), from Ga- Riba in Burgersfort, sexually assaulted the minor girl in the same village in August 2019.
The court heard that Matjipa accosted the teenager while she was on her way home. He dragged her to the nearby bushes, where he forced himself on her.
Two men who were alerted to the screams in the bushes by another person rescued the girl. They rushed to the scene and found the teenage girl crying. The two men took the victim to her parental home.
Matjipa had already left the crime scene by the time the two men arrived. The community conducted a search until Matjipa was found and arrested.
During the trial, a doctor testified and confirmed that the girl was raped. Matjipa pleaded not guilty.
In aggravation of sentence on July 15, 2025, state prosecutor Ntuweleni Lennox Tshikotshi submitted that there were no substantial and compelling circumstances that would make the court deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment against Matjipa.
The state further submitted that life imprisonment was appropriate, taking into account that the victim was a minor. Tshikotshi concluded the submission by stating that the court, as the upper guardian of all the children, must protect children by imposing a severe sentence on those who violate their dignity.
Probation officer, Takalani Patricia Mokaba, compiled and presented to the court a Victim Impact Report detailing how the incident negatively impacted the victim’s performance at school and the trauma she suffered.
The court agreed with the state that there were no substantial and compelling circumstances that would make it deviate from the prescribed sentence of life imprisonment.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the sentence. The Limpopo Director of Public Prosecutions, Adv. Ivy Thenga, said she hoped Matjipa’s sentence would serve as a deterrent to other potential offenders from committing similar offences. The DPP further commended the work done by Tshikotshi and other stakeholders involved in securing the conviction.
