POLOKWANE: 06 December 2023 -The South African Police Service in Limpopo continues to shine a spotlight and the commendable efforts of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences(FCS) Unit Detectives who continue to secure substantial sentences for individuals involved in the abuse against women, and children as well as vulnerable groups.
Meet Sergeant Mulalo Margret Muanalo, (46), attached to Thohoyandou FCS Unit, the remarkable woman who since she joined the investigation team in 2012, from working in the Client Service Center, has secured 6 LIFE term sentences and a combined 408 years imprisonment.
When she was still working in the Client Service Center, she attended several GBV complaints and was touched every time when she obtained the statements. In some cases, she was summoned to testify against the accused and that made her to be confident ,dynamic and resolute.
Muanalo made a decision to sharpen her skills further and not only attend to complaints but ensure that the suspects remained behind bars and are removed from the society for a long time.Her decision paid off, a case in point is the high profile case of a serial rapist, Ndidzulabhi Given Vhiromu who was sentenced to four life sentences plus 135 years imprisonment by the Thohoyandou Regional Court.
The charges against Vhiromu involved the rape of young women aged between 15 and 22 years across Vuwani Policing precinct between 2012 and 2015. He was just 22 when his reign of terror began in 2012. He then raped a 22-year-old woman who was walking with her boyfriend to his house in Vyeboom Village. Armed with a knife, Vhuromo chased the boyfriend away and dragged the woman into the nearby bushes, where he repeatedly raped her. The senseless rapist continued to prey on the poor women and left the villagers frightened and victims traumatised.
Sergeant Muanalo was assigned to investigate the case and she worked tirelessly searching for the suspect, while studying his modus operandi, until she finally connected the dots and with the assistance of her colleagues, the suspect was arrested in Polokwane area in 2019 and positively linked to all the cases through DNA.
She also ensured a 61-year-old father spend the rest of his life behind bars for raping his 14-year-old daughter. The teenager's ordeal started in 2006 when her parents divorced and she visited her father. It was during those times that he raped her at his business premises in Thohoyandou.The mother discovered she was raped only after the girl fell pregnant.The suspect was finally arrested in 2009. A baby boy was born out of the pregnancy. The young mother in the same year died after a short illness.
The girl was no more, but the resolve of Sergeant Muanalo was strengthened and she wanted to see justice being done. She continued with the detective work. DNA testing on the child proved that the old man was his father. "Knowing that our efforts make a positive impact on the lives of those who have experienced harm is priceless and worth it all. I'm very proud I made the decision to become an FCS investigator. I may not be able to take away the pain caused by the perpetrators, but I am definitely going to continue with my mission to ensure justice is served without fear or favour,"remarked the fearless Sergeant.