13 life terms for convicted rapist
The provincial police commissioner, Lt Gen Semakaleng Manamela, has welcomed the hefty sentences handed down to 40-year-old Sydwell Mlotshwa for crimes committed between 2017 and 2018.
MBOMBELA – Mlotshwa was sentenced to 13 life terms as well as an additional 105 year imprisonment by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court last Thursday.
The court heard how Mlotshwa had brutally raped, robbed and assaulted women around Hazyview and Calcutta between
2017 and 2018.
He would target mostly women who were hitch-hiking, offer them a lift and make a detour to a nearby bush. He would rape and assault them while threatening them with a firearm or knife.
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Mlotshwa was arrested in 2019 after he had been linked to all these cases. He pleaded guilty to 27 counts of rape and robberies on January 26. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm, and his name was entered in the register of national sex offenders.
Manamela said this was a victory for all women, especially victims of gender-based violence. She also applauded the team of detectives for their hard work and thorough investigation that led to this conviction.
