Nelspruit – The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela has applauded the court over hefty sentences that were separately handed down to two serial rapists this week. In relation to seven women that were raped in Standerton between 2014 and 2017, Zakhele Isaac Mahlangu, aged 40 was sentenced by the Secunda Regional Court yesterday, Friday, 10 September 2021. Meanwhile for charges relating to three women that were raped between November and December 2018, Philani Jacob Ngwenya, aged 25 who masqueraded as a pastor was sentenced by the Emalahleni Regional Court on Monday, 06 September 2021.
The court sentenced Mahlangu after being satisfied with the evidence brought by the state against him. It is said that the accused targeted women who were hitch-hiking from Standerton to Secunda. In June 2014 and August 2014, he offered a lift to two women on separate occasions, one was 20 years old at the time whilst the other was 24 years old, he then robbed them of their personal items and raped them.
In April and May 2015 Mahlangu preyed on two women who were 18 years old at the time on two separate occasions after finding them asking for lift at the usual hiking spot in Standerton. Just like his previous victims, once they were inside his car, he turned against them, robbed them of their personal items before raping them.
Mahlangu continued his reign of terror when in March and in May 2016 he pounced on two other women, one was 27 years old and the other was 21 years old at the time. After offering them a lift, they too were threatened, as well as robbed of their personal properties and then raped by the accused.
Two more women, aged 20 and 28 respectively at the time were offered a lift by the accused in January 2017. Like the other victims, they too were robbed of their belongings and raped.
These incidents were all reported and cases were opened accordingly where the investigation was assigned to the SAPS members from Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) in Standerton. These astute members worked tirelessly in their probe and on 05 February 2017 they made a breakthrough when they cornered and arrested him at a local hospital in Standerton when he visited a friend. He was then charged accordingly and appeared before court and convicted hence his sentence yesterday as follows:
The accused was sentenced to four life sentences with an additional 81 years imprisonment. The sentences will not run concurrently and Mahlangu was declared unfit to possess a firearm. The accused’s name will also be added in the National Register for sex offenders.
On the other hand, Ngwenya is said to have terrorised women and waited for them in the dark. In March 2018 after midnight, the accused found a woman walking alone from a local tavern. She was 21 years of age at the time and it is said that he started by assaulting her, the ln took her to the nearest bush and raped her.
In June 2018 the accused, armed with a knife attacked a woman who was walking alone from a local tavern, she was 23 years old at the time. He robbed her of her personal items then dragged her to the nearest cemetery and raped her.
In August 2018 the accused who was armed with a knife is said to have held a woman aged 31 years old at the time hostage. The woman was on her way home, when the accused approached her. He then robbed her of her personal items then forcefully took her to the nearest bush where he stabbed her as well as raped her.
Ngwenya is said to have then went into hiding after carrying out these heinous crimes. The SAPS in Phola were informed about the three incidents and rape cases were opened where the dockets were assigned to the FCS Unit in Witbank. The members worked hard and made a breakthrough after receiving information from members of the public about Ngwenya’s whereabouts.
The information revealed that Ngwenya was masquerading as a pastor at a certain church in Soshanguve, Gauteng Province. Police followed up on the information and the accused was traced and arrested on 13 August 2018. He was then charged and pleaded guilty to the three counts of rape hence his sentence as follows:
The accused was sentenced to a total of 30 years imprisonment on all counts. The accused’s name will also be added in the National Register for sex offenders.
Lieutenant General Manamela further thanked members of the public for the information that they provided, not forgetting the sterling work done by the team of Investigators, Prosecutors as well as the Judiciary which led to the hefty sentences imposed on the two serial rapists. The Provincial Commissioner further stated that these notable sentences show we are steadfastly making headway in the fight against Gender-Based-Violence and that these sentences will serve as a deterrence to others who might think of perpetuating crimes against women.
