The Eastern Cape government has revealed that three suspected serial rapists have been accused of 32 rapes and sexual assaults across the province.
The serial rape sprees were announced by safety and liaison MEC Weziwe Tikana in her policy speech in the Bhisho legislature on Thursday.
Eastern Cape police confirmed the MEC’s statement saying the attacks took place in Butterworth, Cradock and Mount Ayliff areas.
Two of the suspects are behind bars while a third died in custody last month, police said.
Tikana also announced for the first time that the 32 cases topped a police list of “high-profile cases” in which they made a breakthrough in this financial year (from April 2014 to this month).
Although Tikana did not name the three men in her speech, their identities were confirmed by provincial police spokesman Lieutenant Khaya Tonjeni. The cases were:
l(Thokozani Siwendu) arrested by the Butterworth family, child and sexual offences unit is on trial after being allegedly linked to 19 of the rape cases;
l(Timothy Mzimni) arrested by the Hofmeyer police near Cradock on allegations of seven rape charges; and
l(Mthobisi Khuzwayo), arrested on six alleged rape charges.
Thonjeni said Khuzwayo, who died on February 11 in custody after a “long illness”, had been arrested after various rape cases were reported at the nearby Mzamba police station early last year.
Tonjeni said Khuzwayo was on the list of the top five of the province’s most brutal and wanted rapists.
The MEC also revealed that DNA results had linked Khuzwayo to two of the six rape cases.
In her speech, Tikana commended the provincial police for cracking such “terrorising cases”, saying it was a step in the right direction in the quest to ensure provincial citizens are provided with safe environment.
Siwendu is on trial in Butterworth for allegedly raping 19 women on separate occasions over the past year.
He also faces further charges of burglary, a charge of motor vehicle theft, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, malicious damage to property and a charge of possessing an illegal firearm.
Tonjeni said Siwendu appeared for one of the cases in the Butterworth Magistrate’s Court yesterday. He will again appear in court on April 28 for one case and in mid-May for other cases.
Mzimni was accused of raping and sexually assaulting women in the Hofmeyr area.
In one of the cases, he allegedly broke into a house with the intent to steal and ended up allegedly raping a female occupant.
“In the Cradock case, the DNA results are still outstanding and the possibility exists that he can be linked to further cases,” Tikana revealed.
However, Tonjeni yesterday said two of the cases against Mzimni had since been dropped after there were little prospects of a successful prosecution and conviction.
He added that Mzimni remained in custody pending a decision by the director of public prosecution on whether to proceed with the other cases to which he is allegedly linked.
The three alleged serial rapists were named 18 months after a 39-year-old Butterworth man, Bulelani Mabhayi, one of the most prolific serial murderers and rapists in the country, received a 25-life jail sentence.
Mabhayi, dubbed the “Tholeni killer”, terrorised Tholeni village in the Butterworth district for at least five years, murdering 19 villagers, nine of whom were children.
His youngest victims were little more than a year old and his oldest was 79.
In her speech, Tikana said police successes this financial year saw Eastern Cape criminals sentenced to 810 years imprisonment and 13 life sentences were handed down for 63 cases of murder.
In 68 cases of rape, 652 years imprisonment and nine life sentences were handed out, while in 67 cases of robbery, 701 years imprisonment and three life sentences were handed out across the province. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
Shock serial rapes claim
The serial rape sprees were announced by safety and liaison MEC Weziwe Tikana in her policy speech in the Bhisho legislature on Thursday.
Eastern Cape police confirmed the MEC’s statement saying the attacks took place in Butterworth, Cradock and Mount Ayliff areas.
Two of the suspects are behind bars while a third died in custody last month, police said.
Tikana also announced for the first time that the 32 cases topped a police list of “high-profile cases” in which they made a breakthrough in this financial year (from April 2014 to this month).
Although Tikana did not name the three men in her speech, their identities were confirmed by provincial police spokesman Lieutenant Khaya Tonjeni. The cases were:
l(Thokozani Siwendu) arrested by the Butterworth family, child and sexual offences unit is on trial after being allegedly linked to 19 of the rape cases;
l(Timothy Mzimni) arrested by the Hofmeyer police near Cradock on allegations of seven rape charges; and
l(Mthobisi Khuzwayo), arrested on six alleged rape charges.
Thonjeni said Khuzwayo, who died on February 11 in custody after a “long illness”, had been arrested after various rape cases were reported at the nearby Mzamba police station early last year.
Tonjeni said Khuzwayo was on the list of the top five of the province’s most brutal and wanted rapists.
The MEC also revealed that DNA results had linked Khuzwayo to two of the six rape cases.
In her speech, Tikana commended the provincial police for cracking such “terrorising cases”, saying it was a step in the right direction in the quest to ensure provincial citizens are provided with safe environment.
Siwendu is on trial in Butterworth for allegedly raping 19 women on separate occasions over the past year.
He also faces further charges of burglary, a charge of motor vehicle theft, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, malicious damage to property and a charge of possessing an illegal firearm.
Tonjeni said Siwendu appeared for one of the cases in the Butterworth Magistrate’s Court yesterday. He will again appear in court on April 28 for one case and in mid-May for other cases.
Mzimni was accused of raping and sexually assaulting women in the Hofmeyr area.
In one of the cases, he allegedly broke into a house with the intent to steal and ended up allegedly raping a female occupant.
“In the Cradock case, the DNA results are still outstanding and the possibility exists that he can be linked to further cases,” Tikana revealed.
However, Tonjeni yesterday said two of the cases against Mzimni had since been dropped after there were little prospects of a successful prosecution and conviction.
He added that Mzimni remained in custody pending a decision by the director of public prosecution on whether to proceed with the other cases to which he is allegedly linked.
The three alleged serial rapists were named 18 months after a 39-year-old Butterworth man, Bulelani Mabhayi, one of the most prolific serial murderers and rapists in the country, received a 25-life jail sentence.
Mabhayi, dubbed the “Tholeni killer”, terrorised Tholeni village in the Butterworth district for at least five years, murdering 19 villagers, nine of whom were children.
His youngest victims were little more than a year old and his oldest was 79.
In her speech, Tikana said police successes this financial year saw Eastern Cape criminals sentenced to 810 years imprisonment and 13 life sentences were handed down for 63 cases of murder.
In 68 cases of rape, 652 years imprisonment and nine life sentences were handed out, while in 67 cases of robbery, 701 years imprisonment and three life sentences were handed out across the province. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
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