Durban man remanded after being linked to 14 rapes in Cato Manor

A suspected serial rapist has been remanded in police custody after investigators linked him to 14 alleged rapes in Cato Manor. The Durban Magistrate’s Court ordered that the 46-year-old man not be named. He will return to court on September 28.

Arrest and charges

Police say the man was arrested on Thursday by officers from the Serial and Electronic Crime Investigation (SECI) and the Investigative Psychology Unit (IPU), both within the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS). He faces multiple charges including rape, house breaking and attempted murder.

Allegations and modus operandi

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda told reporters that the offences may date back to 2014. Between 2014 and 2025 the man was allegedly responsible for rapes involving 14 women in Cato Manor, and police also linked him to the rape of a woman in the Pietermaritzburg district.

Netshiunda said the suspect “operated mostly at night” and would allegedly follow women from taverns to their homes, where he raped them and robbed them of their belongings. In some instances, he is accused of breaking into houses and raping victims at knifepoint, particularly targeting women staying alone.

Victims were unable to identify the attacker because he disguised his face by wearing a pantyhose over his head. Detectives and specialised investigators “connected the dots, established a modus operandi, and linked the man to the attacks through DNA,” Netshiunda said.

Political response and wider message

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli attended the court appearance and commended the police for the arrest, saying it showed the value of “professional, intelligence-led and evidence-based policing” in cases involving violence against women.

“The arrest demonstrates the importance of professional, intelligence-led and evidence-based policing, particularly in cases involving violence against women. Their work demonstrates what is possible when investigators pursue evidence relentlessly and use specialised policing capabilities to protect our communities,” Ntuli said.

Ntuli also linked the arrest to a broader provincial campaign against gender-based violence, stating that the campaign “Silwa Nechilo” which he described as meaning “we fight the shame” is a call for collective action and a refusal to normalise violence.

“‘Silwa Nechilo’ is not a slogan; it is a commitment. It means that we refuse to look away; we refuse to normalise violence; and we refuse to accept that women must live in fear,” Ntuli said.

He urged communities to work with police while respecting ongoing criminal proceedings, and reminded the public that “an arrest is an important step, but it is not a conviction. We must allow the courts to do their work.”

Next steps

The suspect remains in police custody and will next appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on September 28.