POLICE have launched a manhunt for a man whose tongue was partly bitten off by a 63-year-old woman he was allegedly trying to rape in the Vhembe region.

Residents of Vleifontein township, outside Louis Trichardt, Limpopo, have pledged their support in helping track down the would-be rapist. Makhado police spokesperson Captain Maano Sadike said the assailant kicked open the door of the pensioner's house at about 10pm on Friday night. The man allegedly climbed into her bed and demanded sex.

Sadike said the pensioner duped the suspect into believing she was willing and asked the suspect to kiss her first. "But the brave pensioner bit his tongue off."

The man then ran away in agony.

Sadike said the piece of the tongue had been handed over to the police and a case of attempted rape opened.

"We have alerted local clinics and hospitals around the province to report the man."

Still in Louis Trichardt, a 48-year-old serial rapist has been sentenced to 80 years' imprisonment. Wilson Sithada was jailed for rapes he committed between 2006 and 2008 against victims aged between 14 and 33 years from Musina and Makhado.