Escaped rape suspect re-arrested in Rustenburg after police manhunt

Mapaballo Borotho

A rape suspect who escaped from custody in KwaZulu-Natal has been re-arrested in Rustenburg.
Police say the man attacked a 28-year-old woman in Umzimkhulu before fleeing days after his arrest.
A multi-disciplinary team tracked him down with the help of a community policing forum and apprehended him on Saturday.

North West police have re-arrested a rape suspect in Rustenburg just days after he escaped from custody. The man was initially arrested in Umzimkhulu, KwaZulu-Natal, on 1 September (Spring Day) for allegedly raping a 28-year-old woman.

Police spokesperson Amanda Van Wyk said the suspect attacked the victim while she was on her way to her cousin’s home, forcing her into a nearby house where the rape took place.

“The woman managed to escape while he was asleep and reported the incident to the Umzimkhulu police, leading to his arrest the same day.

However, the suspect later escaped from custody under circumstances that remain under investigation. A multi-disciplinary team, supported by the Rustenburg Community Policing Forum (CPF), launched a search and successfully tracked him down to a house in Rustenburg, where he was re-arrested in the early hours of Saturday”.

Police confirmed that in August alone, 2 284 sexual offenders were arrested nationwide for crimes including rape, sexual assault, abduction, attempted rape, and other related offences.