Two men who raped two women at gunpoint before attempting to silence them by shooting them in an open field in Marikana, Philippi East, have been sentenced to multiple life terms by the Western Cape High Court.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the court sentenced Bakhokele Sigodi, 36, to four life sentences and 20 years’ direct imprisonment, while Anele Yelani, 26, received three life sentences and 35 years’ direct imprisonment.
The pair were convicted on June 9, 2026, on charges including rape, attempted murder, two counts of murder, illegal possession of a firearm and illegal possession of ammunition.
The NPA described the men as “ruthless killers who confronted two women while they were relieving themselves, ordered them to undress, raped them, and then discussed, in the victims’ presence, eliminating the evidence before shooting them at close range.”
The court ordered that portions of their sentences run concurrently, effectively ensuring both men will serve life imprisonment.
According to evidence led by Senior State Advocate John Reyneveld, the attack took place on the evening of January 23, 2021, when two women went looking for a friend in Marikana.
After discovering their friend was not home, they waited in the yard before heading to a nearby bushy field when one of the women needed to relieve herself.
While there, they were approached by Sigodi, Yelani and a third man, Yongama Baliso. Sigodi and Yelani were armed with firearms and forced the women to undress before raping them.
The court heard that after the rapes, the attackers openly discussed getting rid of evidence.
“Following the rapes, Sigodi and Yelani openly discussed eliminating the evidence in the presence of the two women,” NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said.
Sigodi then shot one of the women in the arm, neck and chest. Believing she was dead, the attackers left. Yelani fatally shot the second victim at the scene.
The surviving woman later heard the men return while searching for her after deciding they still needed to “get rid of the evidence”.
Despite her injuries, she managed to flee and hide before being helped by an elderly resident, who gave her clothing, carried her to the main road and flagged down a police vehicle.
She was taken to hospital, where forensic samples were collected.
The survivor later identified both attackers in photographic identification parades and testified that she knew all three men from seeing them in the community, identifying them by their nicknames.
DNA evidence proved crucial in securing the convictions.
Sigodi was unable to explain the presence of his DNA on the surviving victim’s shorts, while Yelani could not explain DNA evidence linking him to the deceased victim.
“The court rejected their alibis and found that both accused had acted in concert to eliminate witnesses to their crimes and had possessed a direct intention to kill,” Ntabazalila said.
The court also ordered the immediate seizure of any firearm licences, permits and ammunition belonging to the convicted men and declared them unfit to possess firearms.
In addition, their names will be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.
Welcoming the outcome, Ntabazalila said the sentences “demonstrate the courts’ continued intolerance of gender-based violence and other violent crimes that rob women of their dignity, safety, and fundamental rights.”
The third accused, Yongama Baliso, was not among those sentenced in the judgment announced by the court.
