The two men arrested in connection with the kidnapping and rape of a former teacher will spend the festive season behind bars.

This after they appeared and were denied bail in the Phalala Magistrate's Court on Monday where their case was postponed to next month for further police investigations.

Lesiba Merchanson Molokomme, 31, and his 18-year-old accomplice, whom police did not name due to his age, will spend Christmas and the New Year in police custody until they appear in court again on January 16.

They were charged with kidnapping, rape, robbery and theft following an incident that happened on November 23.

They were arrested during an intelligence-driven operation which tracked them down to two separate locations outside Lephalale.

Their arrest followed an incident in which they broke into the rented room of the 28-year-old victim, who is a teacher at a high school near Marken, in Lephalale,  while she was asleep.

They tied her up  and bundled her into the boot of her car and drove away with her. They later dumped the victim while still tied up in the bushes along the road to Bakenburg outside Mokopane.

The victim's car, a Volkswagen Polo, was found abandoned in the bushes.

One of the men was found in possession of the car keys. It was also detected that the men had taken turns in gang-raping the victim before dumping her and driving off with her car.

Police spokesperson Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said they believed the postponement of the case would allow them ample time to investigate the matter properly.

“The postponement of the case will afford us an opportunity to conduct proper investigations into the incident,” said Ngoepe yesterday.

Ngoepe added that preliminary investigations had revealed that the two men are linked to a chain of other crimes and were well-known to the victim as she had previously taught them at the same school where she works and that they were also staying in the same village.