DURBAN - The man arrested on suspicion of being a serial rapist, including the rape of a 14-year-old girl, made his first appearance in the Durban Magistrate’s Court, on Tuesday.
The 50-year-old is accused of allegedly raping 19 people, with one of the cases dating as far back as 2008.
He appeared in court on charges linked to two rapes, one of a 14-year-old girl and another of a 32-year-old woman.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said an Inanda Family Violence operation led to the arrest of the suspect in Malukazi, near Isipingo.
“On Sunday, January 30, detectives from the Inanda Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit arrested a 50-year-old suspect at Malukazi for rape.
“The first reported case dates back to 2008. Cases with a similar modus operandi kept on piling up until it became apparent that a serial rapist was in operation. A concerted effort was put into trying to arrest the perpetrator but he was proving to be very slippery when sought by police,” Gwala said.
During his appearance, the court heard that the two cases he was appearing for happened within the vicinity of the Isipingo Taxi Rank.
Prosecutor Rani Pillay said the accused lured a teen victim after she had been robbed, under the pretence of trying to help her.
“In the case involving the minor, the accused approached her to seemingly help after she had been robbed near the taxi rank. Trusting him, the victim agreed to be helped but was later forced into a bush near the area, where he undressed and raped her. The victim managed to identify the accused through an identikit which was provided by the police,” Pillay said.
The accused will face a statutory 6 rape charge, which deals with the alleged commission of a sexual offence against a child.
Pillay said the same happened to the second victim, but this time around, the accused pretended to have been lost.
“The 32-year-old victim accompanied the suspect to the Isipingo area after he had convinced her that he was not from the area, and was lost.
“On their way to the place he had said he was going to, he became aggressive and forced her out of the car. He led the victim into the same bushes where he had led victim one into, and removed her clothes, then proceeded to rape her.
“He also allegedly strangled the victim and left her unconscious. The matter was later reported to the police,” Pillay said.
The man was positively identified in 17 other cases through DNA, and the investigation officers were working on an identikit in these cases.
The prosecution asked for a postponement of the case to gather bail information and proceed further with investigations.
Magistrate Ferial Seedat postponed the case to February 9 and remanded the accused into custody.
After the court proceedings, a family member of the accused alleged serial rapist threatened a Daily News reporter, demanding he not report on the matter.
Operation Bobbi Bear founder Jackie Branfield said the police had done an excellent job in the arrest but urged communities to assist law enforcement in making these arrests as early as possible.
“Programmes to educate communities about the seriousness of rape are important, as they curb these cases from becoming as damaging as this one.
“Police also have to treat the cases as a priority crime, which receive substantial investment. But, the police have done an excellent job in arresting the suspect, who was probably going to commit further crimes of this nature.
“Now, we call on the community to showcase their dissatisfaction and oppose bail through protest action,” Branfield said.
Shehana Kajee, of the DA’s Women’s Network, said the party would attend the court case in support of the victims.
“The DA Women’s Network will be in attendance to show support for the victims and to keep a close eye on proceedings. We trust that the justice system will make an example of the alleged perpetrator by ensuring he receives a harsh sentence.
“With KwaZulu-Natal dubbed the ‘rape capital’ of the country, we cannot tolerate any rapists and abusers of women.”
Daily News