Sexual offenders have no place in our society. On 26 April 2022, the Wynberg Magistrates’ Sexual Offences court handed a hefty sentence to a 23-year-old serial rapist.
In 2018, former investigating officer, Captain Herman Hanekom from Nyanga SAPS Family Violence, Child and Sexual Offences Unit made a connection in reported cases from the Philippi East precinct in which the accused used the same modus operandi.
He collected exhibits on all these similar cases and sent it to SAPS Forensic Science Laboratory for DNA analysis.
The results revealed that all the cases were linked to a case that was opened in 2017 at Langa SAPS against Mzwanele Hohlo. The accused could not be reached at his address, the investigating officer then found his mother in Willowvale, Eastern Cape who confirmed the date of birth of the accused but she had no knowledge of his whereabouts.
Through the aid of Home Affairs, his ID number and birth certificate was obtained, investigations continued and his photograph was circulated. It was not until his girlfriend laid charges of assault against him in 2019 that he was arrested.
The girlfriend positively identified the suspect as Mzwanele Thando Hohlo when she was shown a picture.
One of the victims was raped twice and stabbed in the head with a scissor in an attempt to kill her.
The accused pleaded guilty on all charges and he was sentenced to three times life imprisonment for rape, two times five years’ imprisonment for attempted murder and 12 months imprisonment for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
