Heartless and emotionless. That’s how a 29-year-old man convicted for a series of housebreakings and rapes was described by his helpless victims.
This week the justice system wasted no time in sending out a message to would-be offenders when they sentenced Thokozani Mabuza to two life sentences and a further 90 years imprisonment.
KwaZulu-Natal National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said Mabuza was convicted for a string of rapes, housebreakings with intent to rape, robberies and kidnappings he committed between March 2014 and May 2017 in the Mtunzini High Court this week.
The offences were committed in the Mtunzini and Esikhawini areas, where Mabuza preyed on the women living there.
“He would break into the homes, rape the woman living there and rob them of their valuables; namely cash and cellphones. In one instance he took a television set.
“Mabuza used either a knife or a firearm to instil fear in them. He also accosted some of them while they were out walking, using a weapon to coerce them into going with him to a nearby forest or property where he raped them,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
She said he was eventually arrested after DNA evidence linked him to the crimes.
The NPA said State advocate Dan Magwaza led the evidence of all the women, their first reports as well as medical evidence and the testimony of the arresting officer.
“All of their accounts spoke of the fear they now live with, and their lack of self-worth following the incident,” Kara said.
“One woman said that she had lost her job and her husband had walked out on her, as he could not accept what had happened to her. Another said that she is now afraid of men.
“She said that Mabuza was heartless and emotionless, and she felt like she had been attacked by a wild animal,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
IOL