Three men charged with rape, murder of Sefophe woman
Pini Bothoko | Wednesday August 12, 2026 06:00
The victime was found naked and motionless outside Kanana Depot last week, law enforcement officers said. The suspects, all from Sefophe village, are alleged to have met the deceased, a resident of Malatsi ward, as she was walking home whilst intoxicated on August 2. The suspects allegedly grabbed the woman, put her in a donkey cart and drove her to an unoccupied, unfinished house, where they allegedly took turns sexually assaulting her. It was further alleged that the trio later took the woman to one of the suspects’ homes, where the sexual assault allegedly continued throughout the night. In the early hours of the following morning, the suspects allegedly transported the naked woman to Kanana Depot and abandoned her there. The woman was discovered by an employee who had arrived to open the shebeen for business.
The employee reportedly found her lying motionless and immediately alerted the police. Botshabelo Police Station commander, Superintendent Sedisa Malefho, confirmed that investigations into the matter are ongoing. He said police officers responded to the report and rushed the woman to a clinic, where medical personnel certified her dead on arrival. “We suspect that the deceased might have been choked to death. “She was last seen leaving the bar heading home intoxicated on August 2, 2026.
The following morning she was found lying motionless and naked by Kanana Depot,” Malefho explained. He added the police managed to arrest the three suspects four days following the discovery of the deceased. The trio has since been charged with rape and murder, and is expected to appear before the Selebi-Phikwe Magistrate's Court sometime this week. Police investigations into the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death and the alleged sexual assault are continuing.