The 25-year-old suspect who on 25 May 2020, appeared in Giyani Magistrate’s court following his initial arrest for several cases of burglaries he allegedly committed around the Giyani policing area, has now been positively linked to eighteen more cases of rape.
The alleged serial rapist was linked through forensic investigations following a lengthy investigation that commenced since his arrest in February 2020. The suspect was allegedly terrorising community members in and around the Thohoyandou, Giyani, Makhado and Tzaneen Clusters since 2014 and raped women aged between 19 and 90 years.
His alleged modus operandi included attacking unsuspecting victims while collecting fire woods in the nearby bushes, assaulting and then raping them.
In one of the incidents that took place in the early hours of 1 January 2014, at a village in Vuwani, an elderly woman aged 90 and staying with her daughter in law was raped. The suspect allegedly knocked at the house pretending to be the victim’s grandson. When she opened the door, he then grabbed and raped her. He thereafter fled the scene
He is expected to appear before the Giyani Magistrate court on 5 June 2020, on additional 18 counts of rape. He will also appear before other different magistrate courts on burglary and house robbery cases.
During his court appearance in Giyani Magistrate Court on seven charges of burglary, he was denied bail and his cases were postponed to 01 July 2020 for further police investigations.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo Major General Jan Petrus Scheepers, has commended the sterling investigative work done by the members, especially those attached to the Investigative Psychology Unit (IPU) and the Serial and Electronic Crimes Investigation (SECI), on the job well done.
Police investigations are continuing.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
