A 29-year-old Northern Cape man who raped young girls in bushes in 2016 has been sentenced to 43 years in prison, according to local police.  

Olebogeng Thukwi, who targeted young girls between the ages of 11 and 14, was sentenced by the Northern Cape High Court on Friday, on four counts of rape, spokesperson Captain Olebogeng Tawana said.

“During the commission of the crime, he targeted unsuspecting girls in Sedibeng, Bankhara villages near Kuruman in the John Taolo Gaetsewe Cluster,” Tawana said. 

“He grabbed and dragged all his victims into the bushes and raped them. Subsequent to raping the victims, he would leave them in the bushes and run away.” 

Tawana said Thukwi was on the run for almost two years until he was arrested in April 2018. Forensic evidence linked him to all four counts of rape.