The provincial commissioner of the police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma, reiterated that fighting crime against women and children is one of the priorities of the SAPS and every effort is being made to bring perpetrators to book.
The provincial commissioner made the statement after three alleged serial rapists were arrested as a result of joint efforts between Investigative Psychology Section from National Head Office, Crime Intelligence in Mpumalanga and the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offence (FCS) Unit in eMalahleni (Witbank), after working tirelessly to trace and arrest the perpetrators at their different hideouts.
On Monday, May 8, a 35-year-old alleged serial rapist, who was arrested on Friday, May 5, appeared before the Witbank Magistrate’s Court.
The police are currently linking the suspect to more than thirty cases of rape that took place between 2004 and 2016, where he allegedly forced entry into the house of his victims, raped and robbed them of their belongings. Further charges are likely to be added in connection with the robberies.
The suspect has been remanded in custody until May 15, pending bail application.
Another 37-year-old alleged rapist will make his appearance at the same court on Tuesday, May 16, facing 18 charges of rape and robbery. The incidents were committed between 2015 and 2016. It is alleged that the suspect preyed on his victims, aged between 19 and 29, at the Witbank and Ogies Old Road near Witbank.
The probe is still underway and more charges of rape are also expected to be leveled against this suspect too.
The third suspect is a 32-year-old former security guard who has been positively linked to 39 cases ranging from rape to house robberies.
His arrest came after an investigation which was launched following a number of incidents which were reported between 2009 and 2015 at Mhluzi near Middelburg as well as Vosman near eMalahleni (Witbank) respectively. In those incidents, it was reported that an unknown person broke into the houses of the victims while they were asleep, held them at gunpoint, then raped and robbed them of their belongings. The investigation led to the arrest of the suspect at his hideout in Maviljan Trust near Bushbuckridge and he will appear at the Circuit of the Pretoria High Court sitting in Delmas on Monday, May 22 for a trial.
“The South African Police Service is vigorously addressing the trio crime trend, that of car hijackings, house robberies and business robberies in the pursuit of ensuring that all in South Africa are and feel safe,” said Brigadier Leonard Hlathi.
ALSO READ:
https://www.citizen.co.za/witbank-news/84217/two-young-girls-raped/
https://www.citizen.co.za/witbank-news/80598/statutory-rape-of-three/
