A Bloemfontein court has sentenced 42-year-old South African man, Sechaba Mohapi, to 15 years in prison for the violent assault of his 23-year-old neighbor in a case that prosecutors described as a targeted attack. The incident, which occurred on December 9, 2022, in Masike, Phelindaba, unfolded when Mohapi lured the victim into his yard under the pretense of asking her to make a purchase for him.
After previously rejecting his romantic advances and informing him of her orientation, the victim was simply walking to a nearby shop to buy milk when Mohapi attacked her. Once he had convinced her to enter his property, Mohapi dragged the young woman into his house at knifepoint and assaulted her. In a final act of cruelty, he threw her clothes outside afterward.
During the trial at the Bloemfontein sexual offenses court, Regional Prosecutor Azola Key successfully argued against any reduction in the mandatory 15-year sentence, highlighting the premeditated nature of the crime.
Despite pleas from Mohapi’s Legal Aid representative for leniency based on his status as a first-time offender, the court maintained the full sentence. As part of the ruling, the court ordered Mohapi’s information to be added to the National Register for Sex Offenders.
