Pretoria – A 47-year-old man, Muzilani Ronald Mushwana has appeared in the Lenyenye Magistrate’s Court, on charges of housebreaking and rape of a 92-year-old wheelchair-bound woman.
“It is alleged that the accused on 4 June 2022, broke into the house of the victim in Hoveni village outside Tzaneen, through the window and raped the victim in the middle of the night,” according to National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson in Limpopo, Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi.
“The accused was arrested on 6 June 2022, after the incident was reported to Maake police station.”
Malabi-Dzhangi said the case has been postponed to 17 June, for further investigations.
Mushwana will remain in custody.
Earlier, police in Limpopo said the 47-year-old had been charged with rape.
Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said the incident took place in the early hours of Saturday morning in the Hoveni village outside Tzaneen.
“The suspect allegedly gained access into the victim’s room, where she had been sleeping, through a window and raped her. Police were called and immediately launched a manhunt for the suspect,” he said.
Mushwana was arrested on Monday in the same area, before his court appearance on Tuesday.
Last month, a 32-year-old man appeared before the Vuwani Magistrate’s Court facing a charge of murder after he was arrested for allegedly killing an 80-year-old wheelchair-bound pensioner at Mutsha Thondoni village in Limpopo’s Vhembe District.
At the time, Mojapelo said the 32-year-old man had allegedly accused the octogenarian, who was his mother’s employer, of practising witchcraft.
“The suspect, whose mother is reportedly a helper for the old man, arrived at the house and allegedly started hurling insults and accusing the old man of witchcraft. He quickly went to the room in which the victim was apparently taking a nap and broke the windows as well as the burglar door and entered the room,” Mojapelo said.
Police said the 32-year-old allegedly took the lid of an iron pot and started hitting the old man, thereby causing fatal injuries.
IOL