A 28-YEAR-OLD Lesotho national, Kgotso Rakgaleye, who was arrested on allegations of rape and attempted murder, has appeared in the Booysens Magistrate’s Court.
Johannesburg district police spokesperson Captain Xoli Mbele said it was alleged that Rakgaleye raped and stabbed a 49-year-old woman at a field, near Mall of the South, along Swartkoppies Road, on March 21.
“The victim was selling mealies next to a taxi rank. She went to the field to fetch water, when she was confronted by the suspect. He strangled and dragged her to the field, where he raped her. When he had finished, he told her that it was better for him to kill her because they know each other,” said Mbele.
“She sustained multiple stab wounds in her upper body and he left her lying there, thinking that she was dead,” said Mbele.
The woman later managed to crawl to a taxi rank in Orange Farm, next to the Mall of the South.
“Taxi drivers saved her life by calling an ambulance. She told them her ordeal and gave description of the suspect, wearing the cultural Lesotho national blanket. A group of Lesotho nationals went into the field looking for the suspect and apprehended him,” said Mbele.
When Rakgaleye was arrested, his blanket was soaked with blood.
The woman spent a month recuperating in hospital.
“Police would like to thank Orange Farm taxi rank drivers, next to Mall of the South, for calling an ambulance, and the Lesotho nationals who handed over the suspect to the police,” said Mbele.
“A good working relationship between the police and the community will subdue the escalation of crime in our community,” added Mbele.
Rakgaleye previously appeared in court, in March, after his arrest and he was remanded in police custody.