Pretoria – The SA Police Service (SAPS) is observing this year’s 16 Days of activism of no violence against women and children by highlighting the work of its men and women in blue who work tirelessly to put behind bars those who abuse women, children, and vulnerable groups.
Today, we introduce the nation to Warrant Officer Alistair Rezant who is attached to the Western Cape SAPS’s Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Investigations (FCS) unit.
During his illustrious career as an investigator, the member has secured a total of 1 105 years imprisonment sentence for rapists.
This year, WO Rezant secured a lengthy conviction for Riegard David Myburgh who was found guilty of numerous counts of rape and sexual assault charges.
Myburgh is a paedophile who targeted young boys between 8 and 11 years of age between 2014 and 2019.
Because of WO Rezant’s meticulous investigation, Myburgh’s name has been entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO) – Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, 2007 (Act 32 of 2007.
The NRSO is a record of persons who have been convicted of charges of sexual offences committed against a child or a mentally disabled person.
WO Rezant was also instrumental in securing the conviction of Mark Labushagne, who was a handyman at a retirement village in the Western Cape.
Labuschagne was sentenced to 15 years of direct imprisonment for sexually assaulting elderly women at the retirement village and performing acts of self-masturbation in front of the elderly.
His victims were aged between 70 and 96 years of age.
Labuschagne’s name was also recorded in both the Sexual Offences Register and the Abuse of Elderly Persons Register.
In addition, he was declared unfit to possess a firearm and, also unfit to work with children
WO Rezant has vowed to put more of such offenders behind bars.
“Cases related to GBV and sexual offences remain a priority for me,” said WO Rezant.
“I always oppose bail applications for GBV perpetrators and ensured that all cases relating to rape and abuse are watertight so that they are not withdrawn at the court of law.
“These hefty sentences meted against sexual offenders should serve as a deterrent to would-be offenders.”
*(Original article compiled by Lt Col Mukhathi)
