Pretoria – A 47-year-old man, Patrick Mamakoko, accused of raping an 85-year-old pensioner in Mpumalanga’s Kgobokwane village, has appeared before the Mdutjane Magistrate’s Court.

Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Mpumalanga, Monica Nyuswa, said Mamakoko appeared in court on Wednesday, facing a charge of rape.

“It is alleged that on 26 November 2022, the accused broke into the victim’s house in Kgobokwane village, threatened her with a knife with his face covered with a balaclava and forcefully raped her. He then fled the scene with the victim’s cellphone,” said Nyuswa.

“The matter was reported to the police, and during the police investigation, the accused was found in possession of the victim’s cellphone and was arrested.”

The Mdutjane Magistrate’s Court has postponed the case to 12 December 2022 for legal representation in the same court.

“Due to the seriousness of the charge against the accused, the State is opposing bail while the police investigation continues,” said Nyuswa.

In July, a 47-year-old man appeared in court after he was arrested for allegedly raping a 92-year-old wheelchair-bound woman in Limpopo province.

“The 47-year-old man, Muzilani Ronald Mushwana, is appearing in the Lenyenye Magistrate’s Court on charges of housebreaking and rape of a wheelchair-bound woman,” NPA Limpopo spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said at the time.

“It is alleged that the accused broke into the house of the victim in Hoveni village outside Tzaneen through the window and raped her in the middle of the night.”

Commenting on the same matter, police spokesperson in Limpopo, Motlafela Mojapelo, said the nonagenarian was sleeping when her house was broken into.

“The suspect allegedly gained access into the victim’s room, where she had been sleeping, through a window and raped her. Police were called and immediately launched a manhunt for the suspect,” said Mojapelo at the time.