RELENTLESS: Lieutenant-Colonel Sergio Kock
BY ISAAC CLOETE
A KIMBERLEY ou who became notorious for crimes like murder, rape, extortion, fraud, crimen injuria and child pornography has been sentenced to life in the mang.
Itumeleng Bendow Machabe, 28, was handed a double life sentence and an additional 44 years behind bars for a crime spree that lasted from 2013 to 2022
The “Facebook cyberbully” was found guilty on a total of 18 counts, which included the rape and brutal murder of Relebogile Segami (11).
Machabe later dumped her body in the veld behind the provincial legislature building in Galeshewe, Kimberley, in March 2022.
He was also convicted for raping three minors between the ages of 13 and 15 years old, extortion, fraud, crimen injuria, and child pornography.
The court heard that he lured his victims through a fake Facebook account pretending to be a 16- year-old gay female.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Sergio Kock says: “He posted explicit videos and full length pictures of their kaal bodies, just to start blackmailing them later or afterwards.”
Meanwhile, Lieutenant- General Koliswa Otola praised the dedicated Galeshewe Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Investigation team for their work to lock up Machabe.
Otola says: “Not forgetting members of the provincial SAPS serial electronic crime investigations unit, like sergeant Gwyneth Paulsen and the provincial SAPS cybercrime unit for their excellent collaboration that led to the outstanding sentence.
“Gender based violence and femicide (GBVF) remains a priority for the SAPS and all our officers will continue to sharpen their responses to these atrocious crimes...”
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