Pinetown rapist sentenced to six life terms, 35 years imprisonment
The 25-year-old man's last victim reported the incident immediately, which led to his capture.
A PINETOWN rapist and robber was sentenced to six terms of life and 35 years imprisonment for the rape and/or robbery of unemployed women in the Pinetown area.
The sentence was handed down to Tumelo Khiba, a 25-year-old man, at the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court.
According to reports, Khiba preyed on women, aged between 17 and 23 years old, between October 2016 to January 2017.
He is believed to have tricked them with the promise of casual jobs.
“Khiba would take them to a bushy area, where he raped and robbed them of their cash and cellphones. He was arrested after his last victim, whose takkies and cellphone he stole, went directly to the police after her ordeal. The police then took her to the scene of the crime where they found Khiba. He was wearing her takkies and had her cellphone in his pocket. He was arrested on the spot,” said the director of public prosecutions in KwaZulu-Natal, Adv. Elaine Zungu.
The regional court prosecutor, Simphiwe Dube, led testimonies of all the victims and presented medical and DNA evidence.
The DNA evidence linked Khiba to the crimes.
He was also positively identified by the victims.
ALSO READ: Hillcrest SAPS sheds light on various types of abuse
Dube also submitted victim impact statements, facilitated by court preparation officer, Bonnie Mthethwa, and compiled by each victim.
“These gave an account of the trauma they experienced as a result of Khiba’s crimes,” said Zungu. “The sentence and conviction in this matter is indicative that justice has been served. While employment is difficult to obtain, we appeal to the community is to be wary of job offers, as matters of this nature are becoming prevalent.”
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of publication, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts. Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.
