Vuwani police spokesperson WO Elijar Malatjie has hailed the two life sentences for convicted 21-year-old Tshifhiwa Leroy Ravele of Lwamondo Tshitavha village as a victory for police fighting the rape and abuse of women and children.

Ravele was arrested on December 11, 2007, after being linked to two rape cases, in which the perpetrator had surprised his victims and threatened to harm them, before raping them.

In the first incident, he surprised his victim when she came out of a toilet. The victim, who was 17 at the time, was sleeping with her two friends when nature called and she requested the friends to accompany her to the toilet. She was surprised when she came out from the toilet to find that Ravele had chased away the two friends and she was at his mercy.

Ravele then forced her to go to his home while threatening her with a knife. He raped her for the whole night and she was only released the following morning.

On 29 November 2008, while Ravele was out on bail, he grabbed a 13-year-old girl at Lwamondo-Lukau village. She was with her friends on their way home from a party. After raping her, he forced her to accompany him to his house and again raped her until the early hours of the morning.

Ravele received two life sentences when he appeared in court last Wednesday.

Malatjie commended members of the public for the big role they were playing in fighting crime. “It is only through a united front that we can fight criminals and put them in jail where they belong. They do not respect our sisters and through a joint effort by the police, members of the public and the justice system we can help stop him from continuing with his evil ways,” Malatjie said.