The Rustenburg Regional Court has sentenced 43-year-old Michael Segale to three life sentences for three rape cases. He was handed an additional five years imprisonment for escape from lawful custody. The sentencing emanated from incidents wherein he allegedly went on a spree of raping three minors aged 11 and 13 years respectively, and a 19-year-old woman in Boitekong and Lethabong outside Rustenburg between 2012 and 2017.
In the first incident that happened in the Soviet Section, Lethabong in 2012, the 19-year-old victim was walking with her younger sister from the shop when they came across an unknown male person who asked them to accompany him to go fetch his mother's medicine. Along the way in the bushes, the suspect grabbed the victim and raped her and thereafter fled the scene. Furthermore, in July 2017, the accused allegedly went on and raped two victims in two separate incidents.
The first victim who was 11 years of age then, was sent to the shop together with her younger brother at Boitekong Extension 8 when they came across the suspect. Allegedly the suspect asked them to accompany him to fetch his belongings somewhere and he did not know the direction properly. Along the way as they were approaching the bushy area, the suspect grabbed the victim, undressed her and told the younger brother to sleep and raped the victim.
In another unrelated incident, in Boitekong Extension 4, two girls who were both aged 13 years then, were playing in the streets when they were called by an unknown male person. The suspect allegedly asked them for a direction and insisted they walk with him to fetch his sewing machine and some clothes and needed their help. As they approached the bushes, he threatened them and tied one with a cloth and raped the first one, thereafter proceeded to rape the second minor and fled the scene.
Police investigations identified Segale as the possible suspect and was by then already convicted in other cases. He was linked to the crimes through modus operandi and later through DNA. Furthermore, in 2018, while the accused was in court, he escaped through the bathroom window after he asked to use the toilet and was later apprehended in Seraleng village outside Rustenburg.
Segale was sentenced as follows: Count one escaped from lawful custody - five years imprisonment. Count four and five rape of two 13-years-old minors two times life imprisonments; Count seven rape of an 11-year-old minor - life imprisonment and; Count eight rape of a 19-year-old woman - 15 years imprisonment; The accused was also declared unfit to possess a firearm in terms of section 103 of the Firearms Control Act, 2000 (Act No. 60 of 2000).
The Provincial Commissioner of North West, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena lauded the Investigating Officer, Sergeant Obakeng Rasego of Rustenburg Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit and all those involved for securing yet another good prosecution during the 16 Days of Activism on No Violence Against Women and Children. Lieutenant General Kwena reiterated that the police will work tirelessly to ensure that perpetrators of Gender-Based Violence are brought to book.
