Free State Tracking Team Arrests 3 Rape Suspects in Bloemspruit, Including a 14-Year-Old

• The Free State Provincial Tracking Team arrested three long-wanted rape suspects in Bloemspruit through Operation Shanela
• One of those apprehended is a 14-year-old minor who had evaded arrest for four years in connection with a 2022 rape case
• All three suspects are expected to appear before the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court to face their respective charges

FREE STATE — Three suspects wanted in connection with separate rape cases in Bloemspruit have been arrested by the Free State Provincial Tracking Team, with the youngest of those apprehended being a 14-year-old minor who had evaded law enforcement for four years.

The South African Police Service announced the arrests on Facebook on 15 July 2026, confirming that the operations were conducted under the multidisciplinary Operation Shanela2, guided by intelligence and tip-offs from community informants. The first arrest involved 47-year-old Deon Joshua, who was located at a residential address in Bergman, Bloemspruit. Joshua was subject to a warrant of arrest issued by the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court in 2025 in connection with a rape case in the Bloemspruit area.

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Operation Shanela 2 targets gender-based violence

A second operation led to the arrest of a 14-year-old suspect linked to a 2022 rape case. The teenager had successfully avoided arrest and prosecution for four years before officers, acting on informant intelligence, tracked him down. On 13 July 2026 at approximately 12:20, the team arrested a third suspect, 32-year-old Thoriso Joseph Makhala, in Phase 7, Bloemspruit. Makhala is accused of raping a mentally challenged woman in Bloemspruit in 2017, meaning the case had remained unresolved for nearly a decade.

Operation Shanela 2 is a multidisciplinary law enforcement initiative deployed by the South African Police Service (SAPS) to target, among other priorities, suspects in gender-based violence cases. The Free State tracking team credited community cooperation as central to the success of these operations. All three suspects are expected to appear before the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court to face their respective charges.

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3 men arrested for extorting passengers

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In a related article, Briefly News reported the alarming incident where three men were arrested for allegedly extorting R2,500 from 15 taxi passengers in sub-zero temperatures on the N8 highway. This situation shocked the community, as families, including children and the elderly, were left vulnerable and fearing for their safety late at night.

Source: Briefly News