A 40-year-old Lesotho man will spend 12 years in prison after a court found him guilty of attempting to rape a 16-year-old girl and illegally residing in South Africa.
Baisil Steyn was sentenced by the Bloemfontein Regional Court on Thursday.
He was sentenced to ten years imprisonment following a conviction for attempted rape and, and further two years for contravention of the Immigration Act.
Free State police spokesperson Sergeant Sinah Mpakane said the sentencing follows an incident on April 28, 2024, where Steyn pursued a sixteen-year-old victim and threatened her with a knife.
“Despite the victim’s attempts to escape and seek refuge in a nearby residence, the accused forcefully entered the home and damaged property in an attempt to reach her.”
The victim was rescued by the homeowner and his son, leading to the immediate arrest of Steyn.
The case was investigated by Detective Sergeant Bokamoso Shanice Peter. Her investigation revealed that Steyn is a Lesotho citizen residing in South Africa illegally.
“The investigating officer successfully opposed bail and presented compelling evidence to the court despite the accused denying all allegations.”
The court sentenced the accused to ten years for attempted rape and an additional two years for being in the country illegally.
“The South African Police Service commends the sterling work of Detective Sergeant Peter for his commitment to ensuring that perpetrators of violence against women and children are removed from society,” Mpakane said.
One week ago, IOL reported that a 44-year-old Kenyan national has appeared in the Groblersdal Magistrates’ Court in Limpopo on charges relating to the alleged rape and sexual grooming of school learners.
The accused faces two counts of rape and two counts of sexual grooming.
His identity has been withheld to protect the identities of the child complainants and prevent possible secondary victimisation.
According to NPA regional spokesperson Mashudu Malabi the alleged offences date back to 2022.
Malabi said he allegedly recruited learners from a local school and took them to his rented room in Groblersdal.
It is alleged that he filmed the children while they were naked and gave them money before allegedly compelling them to perform sexual acts on him.
The NPA said the accused allegedly used promises of cellphones as an incentive to get the children to participate in the sexual acts.
“The matter came to light after the victims were allegedly instructed to recruit other learners from the same school, resulting in the information being disclosed at the school,” said Malabi.
The matter was subsequently reported to the police, and the accused was arrested.
Malabi said the State is opposing the accused’s release on bail.
The matter was postponed to September 23, 2026, to allow the accused to obtain legal representation and for police investigations to continue.
Meanwhile, the accused remains in custody.
