A Mpumalanga serial rapist who raped one of his victims in front of her family and murdered another woman has been sentenced to two life terms and an additional 105 years behind bars for a string of gender-based violence and violent crimes that terrorised communities in Amersfoort and Daggakraal.
The Mpumalanga Division of the High Court sitting in Breyten handed down the hefty sentence to 22-year-old Simphiwe Xolani Mkhwanazi after convicting him on ten charges, including kidnapping, rape, murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and defeating the administration of justice.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Mkhwanazi preyed on vulnerable women between July 2021 and August 2023, often targeting them as they walked home late at night from taverns.
Armed with a knife, he would threaten his victims before dragging them to isolated areas where he raped and robbed them of their belongings, including cellphones, cash and clothing.
One of the most disturbing incidents occurred on 7 August 2021 when Mkhwanazi entered a family’s home while armed with a knife. He ordered those inside to cover themselves with a blanket before taking a young woman from the room. He forced her to kneel and raped her in the presence of her family members before robbing the household of cellphones and cash.
In another attack on 31 July 2021, a woman walking home from a party in the China 1 Section of Amersfoort was accosted at knifepoint. Mkhwanazi dragged her to nearby rocks, raped her and stole her cellphone, cash and sneakers worth R1 500.
Nearly two years later, on 10 June 2023, another victim was walking home from a tavern when Mkhwanazi and an unidentified accomplice confronted her with a knife. She was taken to an abandoned house where she was raped and robbed of her cellphone before reporting the attack to police.
The court also heard how Mkhwanazi murdered Ellen Dlamini in August 2023 after she had been socialising at Etshanini Tavern in Daggakraal. Dlamini disappeared after being approached by the accused and was never seen alive again. Three days after her family reported her missing, her body was discovered buried in a shallow grave.
The investigation took a major turn when police found Mkhwanazi asleep next to blood-stained clothing. DNA testing linked the blood to Dlamini, while further forensic analysis connected him to the other crimes.
During the trial, Mkhwanazi initially pleaded guilty and claimed the sexual encounters had been consensual. He alleged that he had romantic relationships with the victims and even claimed the murdered woman had been involved with his father. He later changed his plea to not guilty, forcing the State to present its full case.
Senior State Advocate Themba Lusenga led evidence from victims, eyewitnesses and other witnesses whose testimony was supported by DNA evidence. The court also heard that Dlamini had suffered multiple bruises to her face, neck and forehead.
Victim impact statements presented to the court detailed the devastating emotional and psychological trauma suffered by the survivors.
In sentencing Mkhwanazi, the court imposed life imprisonment for murder and a further life sentence for one of the rape counts. Additional prison terms for the remaining offences brought the total sentence to two life terms and 105 years’ imprisonment.
The court further ordered that Mkhwanazi’s name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders, declared him unfit to possess a firearm and ruled that he is unsuitable to work with children.
Welcoming the sentence, the NPA Mpumalanga Spokesperson Monica Nyuswa the prosecuting authority remains committed to ensuring that perpetrators of crimes against women, children and other vulnerable people are prosecuted relentlessly and brought to justice.
