For years, Letlhakane has been the hub of social ills such as rape, defilement, just to mention but a few. The nerve-wreaking trend has become a norm despite several interventions by the police and other stakeholders to nip rape incidents in the bud. Besides being boosted by mines in the outskirts of the village, Letlhakane with a population of more than 26, 000 remains a rural setting surrounded by cattle posts, which its herdsmen usually the perpetrators of these sexual offences.
The police have in the past highlighted that most of the perpetrators of rape and defilement in the area were illiterate with some being school dropouts and did not care about the rule of law especially gender-based Violence (GBV) related issues. It is believed that historically, according to the inhabitants’ traditions and beliefs, it was not wrong for an elderly to either impregnate a minor or sexually molest any minor as assailants for years remained unpunished. That has resulted in most culprits going unpunished as the victims or even the family of the victims not reporting such cases.
