A serial rapist from Mpumalanga has been sentenced in the Kwaggafontein Regional Court.
Themba Nkambule, 32, from Ekangala was convicted on four counts of rape committed in the Ekangala and Kwaggafontein districts.
The court heard Nkambule’s crime rampage took place between 2011 and 2019.
His modus operandi in all four incidents was that he would encounter his victims during the night on the street and forcefully take them to a secluded bush and rape them.
Three of the victims were raped twice.
The court heard the victims were aged between 14 and 17-years-old and they did not know the attacker (Nkambule).
The girls all reported the cases to the police and Nkambule was linked to all four cases through DNA.
He pleaded guilty to all charges brought against him.
During sentencing, Nkambule’s defence counsel presented pre-sentencing reports from the correctional probation officer and social worker regarding his circumstances.
Delivering the sentence, the magistrate emphasised that Nkambule was a danger to society and needed to be removed.
The court sentenced the serial rapist to four life terms of imprisonment.
The court ordered Nkambule’s name be entered into the National Register for Sexual Offenders, declared him unfit to work with children was further declared unfit to possess a firearm.
The provincial spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Monica Nyuswa said it welcomed the sentence and applauded the prosecution and police for the meticulous collection and presentation of evidence.
“Our commitment to fight the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide will continue even beyond the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children,” Nyuswa said.