Three suspects, including former police officer Raoul Hartman, appeared in Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court in the Free State facing charges of trafficking in persons, rape, and attempted murder.
The accused — Alicia Britz (29), Rian Mulder (56), and Hartman — were arrested on June 30 following a multi-agency operation led by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit, supported by the K-9 Unit, Crime Intelligence, and Police Emergency Services.
According to Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Fikiswa Matoti, Hartman was a Warrant Officer with the Hawks in Bloemfontein until his 2019 retirement.
The case involves a 26-year-old victim who, in July 2022, responded to a Facebook job ad for a bartender role at a gentleman’s club in Ferreira, Bloemfontein. She was transported from Ventersburg and taken to a residence where she was allegedly drugged, sexually assaulted, and repeatedly raped by multiple men. The victim claimed one suspect took photos during the assault.
She escaped through a bathroom window and reported the incident to police, who transferred the case to the Hawks.
Mulder and Hartman were granted R3,000 bail each; Britz remains in custody. The case is postponed until July 8.
A fourth suspect, a 34-year-old man, was arrested in Secunda on July 1 and is en route to Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court.
Major General Mokgadi Bokaba, head of the Hawks in Free State, praised the team for pursuing justice regardless of the suspects’ status.
