A serial rapist who dragged a woman to a graveyard and raped her on top of a grave has been sentenced to an effective 23 years in prison for brutal attacks on two women in Pienaar, outside Nelspruit.
Mxolisi Simon Khoza, 35, was sentenced by the Nelspruit Sexual Offences Court after pleading guilty to two counts of rape, two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
NPA Mpumalanga spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said the offences were committed in May 2023 and that DNA evidence linked Khoza to both attacks.
The first incident occurred on 5 May 2023 when a 22-year-old woman was at home preparing breakfast at about 08:00 while caring for a three-year-old child.
Khoza allegedly entered the house wearing a balaclava and armed with a knife before threatening to kill the woman if she resisted.
When she screamed for help, he tied her hands with wire and raped her.
He then covered the child with a blanket and used the victim’s T-shirt to cover her face before fleeing.
Khoza stole a Premo X85 cellphone valued at about R1,500 and coins worth less than R10.
The victim was later taken to the Rob Ferreira Thuthuzela Care Centre, where she received medical treatment and psychosocial support.
In the second incident, on 26 May 2023, a 29-year-old woman was waiting alone for a taxi when Khoza approached her from behind and stabbed her in the left foot.
He threatened to kill her if she continued screaming before forcibly dragging her to a nearby graveyard.
Khoza then raped her on top of a grave before robbing her of R1,200 in cash and a Samsung A23 cellphone valued at about R4,000.
DNA evidence linked Khoza to both offences and proved instrumental in strengthening the State’s case, ultimately leading to his arrest and successful prosecution.
Faced with the evidence against him, including the DNA results, Khoza pleaded guilty to all the charges.
In aggravation of sentence, State Prosecutor John Mahlwele argued that Khoza posed a danger to society and that gender-based violence remained a scourge in South Africa.
Mahlwele said Khoza deliberately targeted vulnerable women who were alone and defenceless, demonstrating a disregard for their dignity, bodily integrity and safety.
He argued that only a lengthy term of direct imprisonment would adequately protect society and deter would-be offenders.
The court sentenced Khoza to 15 years’ imprisonment on the first count of rape, 15 years on each count of robbery with aggravating circumstances, 23 years on the second count of rape and five years for assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
The court ordered that the sentences on counts 1, 2, 4 and 5 run concurrently with the sentence imposed on count 3, resulting in an effective sentence of 23 years’ direct imprisonment.
Khoza was also declared unfit to possess a firearm and ordered to have his name entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.
Nyuswa said the NPA remains committed to combating gender-based violence and ensuring that perpetrators of sexual offences are held accountable for their actions.
Through its Sexual Offences and Community Affairs Unit, the NPA operates Thuthuzela Care Centres, which provide victims of gender-based violence and sexual offences with integrated support services, including medical care, forensic examinations, trauma counselling and other victim-support services, she said.
She added that the NPA commended all role players involved in securing the conviction and sentence and encouraged victims and members of the public to report incidents of sexual violence.
