SECUNDA – Const Hezekiel Malapela (38) from the local police station won the Catch of the Year award on Thursday, 6 November at the Mpumalanga Prestige Awards in Mbombela (Nelspruit).
He caught the serial rapist Bheki Khumalo in 2011 and he was sentenced in the Secunda Regional Court to 805 years’ imprisonment in April this year.
Khumalo was found guilty on 16 charges of kidnapping, one attempted rape, 22 charges of rape, one of murder, six of robbery and one case attempted robbery.
He took a woman to the graveyard in eMbalenhle, phoned her mother-in-law from her cell phone and told her he was going to kill the woman.
Khumalo operated in the eMbalenhle, Kinross and Evander areas since 2003 and threatened his victims with a panga.
He stole their cell phones and belongings after raping them.
“He usually targeted women in groups,” said Const Malapela.
He threatened the rest of the group that he would kill the victim if they tried to run away.
He also threatened to shoot the women, but the police never found an firearm on him or in his house.
Const Malapela joined the police in 2004 and enjoys his job.
“I am over the moon that I won the award,” he said.
He was placed with the child protection unit after he had finished at the police college.
He is already focusing on the next alleged serial rapist, Mr Sipho Nkosi, who has also been arrested already.
He appeared in court recently and the case was postponed to 27 November.
Mr Nkosi was charged with six cases of rape and he usually fell asleep next to his victims after raping them.
