POTCHEFSTROOM – The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the North West, Major General (Dr) Ryno Naidoo, has welcomed the recent sentences handed down in three separate criminal cases, including a rape conviction in Vryburg and two matters relating to the tampering and damaging of essential infrastructure.

In the Vryburg case, Lebogang Tontosi Abram Moopelwa (32) was found guilty by the Vryburg Regional Court and sentenced to eight years’ direct imprisonment on Wednesday, 11 February 2026.

The conviction follows his arrest on Thursday, 2 October 2025, after DNA evidence linked him to a rape committed on Tuesday evening, 8 March 2022. The court heard that the 27-year-old victim was walking from Bazani to Phola Park in Huhudi, near Vryburg, when she was attacked from behind. She was throttled, pushed to the ground, threatened with a knife and raped. The perpetrator also robbed her of her Nike sneakers and cellular phone.

Major General Naidoo welcomed the outcomes, describing them as a reflection of the commitment by police and the justice system to ensure accountability.

-The VIP Team

-NW SAPS