Jail-time for young thugs

The rape case against Tovhowani Nematswerani (24) of Muledane was finalised in the Thohoyandou High Court last Friday. The case relates to an incident that took place at Muledane Village during the night of June 24, this year. The court heard that, during the night of the incident, Nematswerani broke into the house of a 26-year-old woman, threatened to kill her and raped her repeatedly throughout the night.

The matter was reported to the police the following morning and Nematswerani was arrested a day later. He appeared in the Magistrate’s Court several times before the matter was referred to the High Court. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and a further two-year jail sentence was imposed on him for house-breaking.

Muvhango Enos Tshikovhele (25) of Makwarela Township and Ndivhuwo Maswime (21) of Mbaleni Village were sentenced to 35 and 20 years in jail respectively for armed robbery and attempted murder. Judgement was passed on Monday.

The court heard that Tshikovhele went to Mbilwi Village during the night of August 20 last year and robbed a 19-year-old man of R1 000 at gunpoint. On January 22, he and Maswime robbed a 54-year-old-man of R500 at Mangondi village and later shot and injured the victim. Their arrest came after the police received a tip-off from concerned residents.

Tshikovhele was sentenced to 15 years in jail for the armed robbery that took place at Mbilwi Village. Another 15-year term of imprisonment was imposed on him for the armed robbery he committed at Mangondi Village with Maswime. A further jail sentence of five years was imposed to him for attempted murder.

Maswime was sentenced to 16 years in jail for armed robbery and a further four years for attemted murder. The sentences will run separately.

News - Date: 12 November 2004

Frank Mavhungu

Frank is a Human Resources Manager at the Department of Public Works in Limpopo. He is the longest serving correspondent of the Mirror, having joined us at the end of 1990.  He mainly writes sports reports and resides at Tsianda Village. In 2004, Frank won the National Castle League Award, an award for the best reporter in the SAB league in South Africa.

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