FREE STATE TRACKING TEAM CAPTURES FUGITIVE WANTED FOR 2021 RAPE

By: Neo Ntsele

Free State OperationShanela2 Provincial Tracking Team continues to demonstrate that there is no refuge for criminals; they may flee, but the law will inevitably catch up, ensuring justice is served.

This was evident in the reaction of Tseko Moses Khumalo when the team discovered his hiding spot.

Tseko had been evading justice since 2021, following his sexual assault of a 30-year-old victim.

The victim was walking on Meadows Road from a tavern in the early hours of Sunday, 10 October 2021, when Tseko ambushed her, threatened her with a sword, and dragged her to a nearby RDP house.

The victim was allegedly raped multiple times and was only released at dawn.

A rape case was filed at Bloemspruit Police Station, initiating the search for the suspect.

An arrest warrant for Tseko Moses Khumalo was issued on 2 June 2023.

On Friday, 4 September 2026, five years after the alleged rape, the law finally caught up with Tseko.

The Provincial Tracking Team, who regularly checked Tseko’s residence in Bergman Square, received a tip-off about his location in W-Section, Botshabelo.

Tseko was arrested and detained at Bloemspruit Police Station.

He made a brief appearance in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 7 September 2026.

Tseko Moses Khumalo is scheduled to return to the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 14 September 2026.