By Teboho Moloi
WESSELSBRON – A Wesselsbron regional court has handed down four life sentences to Tshepo Godfrey Letshabo for raping four minor boys aged 12, 13, and 15 in Malebogo township, Hertzogville.
The Director of Public Prosecutions in the Free State welcomed the sentence, emphasising the commitment to holding child predators accountable.
Letshabo, who operated a salon from a rented shack, lured his victims with free haircuts. The court heard that he would sexually assault the children in his back room. The victims, including a 12-year old relative, were targeted between May 2024 and later reported the incidents after one victim confided in a teacher.
The court imposed life imprisonment per count, with the sentences to run concurrently. Letshabo’s name will be entered into the national register for sex offenders, and he has been declared unsuitable to work with children.
NPA regional spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane stated, “The NPA is fighting back hard, and this sentence warns that atrocities against minors will face unrelenting justice.”
Free State police spokesperson Sergeant Mahlomola Kareli added that the successful conviction sends a clear message that crimes against children will be pursued with the utmost seriousness.
