The forty-seven-year old was recently sentenced by a magistrate at the Mahalapye Magistrates' Court following numerous postponements of the case. When sentencing Peloyakgosi, Magistrate Kefilwe Resheng said the unlawful act deserved a stiffer sentence as it would impact the boys' emotional wellbeing for a lifetime. "The convict was entrusted in caring for the boys and he betrayed their trust by indecently assaulting them, something that will have an everlasting impact on their lives," she said. Resheng stated Peloyakgosi destroyed the boys emotionally and the incident will impact their sexuality as well as their adult relationships in future as most were assaulted in their most vulnerable state. The magistrate called the perpetrator’s actions embarrassing to the boys as most of the assaults happened in front of each other. She noted that these acts would impact how the victims viewed each other going forward in their lives. "You performed this unlawful act with the boys in full view of each other. Your actions were so shocking that you did it in front of others. You embarrassed them and broke their spirits. Your actions deserve a sentence that will send a message to would-be wrongdoers," Resheng added.
Peloyakgosi, who is a resident of the village and was employed as the boys' caretaker at the school, was convicted on 16 counts of indecent assault in November 2024 following the unlawful acts. It was said that on the stated dates at the boys’ hostels, he unlawfully and indecently assaulted the boys by pulling their penis backwards and forward at the same time. "Particulars of the offence are that the accused person, Peloyakgosi, between 1 and 12 of March exact time not known to the prosecution at Mokgenene Primary School boys' hostel unlawfully and indecently assaulted (name withheld) by pulling his penis backwards and forward at the same time,” read the charge sheet as per each count. Meanwhile, during the previous visit to the village, The Monitor team learnt that the boys' caretaker's unlawful deeds were uncovered when a schoolboy at a boarding school ran away and vowed never to return. The 16-year-old was said to have ran away, an act that may have been one brave move that saved his fellow peers from further alleged acts of sexual abuse subjected to them by their caretaker. Subsequently, the teenage boy’s decision to run away from school and his refusal to return after being followed up by social workers led to Peloyakgosi's conviction and sentencing.
