Limpopo Serial Rapist Handed 70-Year Prison Sentence

A Limpopo man, Phelane Mathata Gift, 28, has been slapped with a 70-year prison sentence by the Polokwane High Court. Convicted of multiple charges, including rape, aggravated robbery, and kidnapping, his reign of terror has come to a decisive end.

Between 2020 and 2021, Phelane Mathata Gift targeted and attacked eight women, aged 17 to 35. The court revealed that he lured some of his victims through Facebook before committing the brutal assaults.

The court uncovered Gift’s chilling pattern: he lured some women with fake job interviews at local mines in Burgersfort, while others he preyed on randomly, threatening them with a knife before committing his horrific assaults.

All of the victims endured horrific assaults in remote, bushy areas. One such attack occurred on April 4, 2020, when a 17-year-old girl was walking home. A red car pulled up beside her, and two men inside made their move. One of them, armed with a knife, forced her into the vehicle, changing her life forever.

Yanked from the vehicle and taken to the dense bushes of Ga-Mphethi village, she faced a nightmare as she was raped, assaulted, and robbed of her possessions. The attackers ordered the teenager to flee and not look back. In a panic, she sprinted to the nearest house and recounted the harrowing experience to the stunned residents.

Her mother was notified, and they promptly reported the incident to the police. On July 5, 2021, a 34-year-old woman was lured to a job interview at a local mine in Burgersfort. However, upon her arrival, the security staff had no knowledge of the accused.

The woman then contacted Gift who further directed her to his location in Ga-Selala village.

As she arrived, they made their way together from the paved road to a gravel path. While walking behind her, Gift brandished a knife, threatening the woman and demanding that she undress before assaulting her. After the horrific act, he stole her cellphone and wallet.

The police launched an investigation into the case, assigning it to Detective Sergeant Jacob Letsatsi Mojalefa of the Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offenses (FCS) Unit in Burgersfort for in-depth probing.

The court handed down a 70-year prison sentence to Gift and declared him unfit to ever own a firearm again.

Limpopo Police Commissioner General Thembi Hadebe expressed her approval of the conviction and sentencing, commending the investigating officer for their thorough and diligent work.