Pretoria - THE SAPS has commended investigating officer Detective Sergeant Abram Naledi Kgosana for successfully helping in the conviction of a man who raped two women and a teenager in 2011.
Spokesperson Captain Mavela Masondo said that through investigations and collecting of evidence, Kgosana’s hard work resulted in Joseph Tebogo Mhlanga, 32, going to prison for the crimes.
He said Mhlanga and an accomplice, who is still on the run, took turns to rape two women in Soshanguve in April 2011 before robbing them of their cellphones and money.
Mhlanga, two months later, intercepted a Soshanguve teenager who was on her way to school and raped her. He was also wanted for a string of other crimes such as housebreaking and theft.
Mhlanga was handed a life sentence for each of the three rapes, 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances and four years for each housebreaking and theft by the Soshanguve Magistrate's Court last week.
Masondo said that the docket was assigned to Sgt. Kgosana by the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit in Tshwane.
“He immediately started with the investigation, searching for the suspects and ensuring that he left no stone unturned. He followed all the leads until he eventually arrested Mhlanga on August 23, 2018, and charged him with three counts of rape and aggravating robbery.
“The investigating officer went the extra mile to check if there were no other cases to which Mhlanga could be linked. Through the reports from police forensic laboratories, Mhlanga was linked to four more cases of housebreaking and theft committed in Soshanguve between July 2013 and June 2014,” he said.
Masondo said he was proud that all the cases against Mhlanga were presented at the Soshanguve Magistrate’s Court with all the necessary evidence.
Mhlanga was convicted on all the charges and was sentenced to three life terms and 31 years in jail.
“This hefty sentence is attributed to the commitment, hard work and dedication of Kgosana to his work. The victims can now find closure,” Masondo said.
Provincial commissioner of police Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela commended Kgosana for his sterling investigation and said he was confident the other suspect would be arrested soon.