Serial rapist jailed to six life terms after DNA links him to six KZN attacks

A 33-year-old man has been sentenced to six life terms after being found guilty of raping six women in KwaZulu-Natal between January and December 2022. The sentencing was handed down at the Umzimkhulu Regional Court last week.

How the attacks happened

In each of the six cases, the attacker broke into homes where women were staying alone or with their children, demanded cellphones and money and then raped the victims.

Evidence and police statement

The Kokstad Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit detectives collected pieces of evidence and linked the suspect to all six rape cases through DNA, the South African Police Service said.

“The cold-blooded sex pest pounced on his victims mostly between 2h00 and 3h00 in the morning,” said South African Police Service spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda.

Sentence and register

The court also sentenced the man to an additional eight years in prison for housebreaking. His name will be entered in the National Register of Sexual Offenders, the police said.

Other sentences at Umzimkhulu Regional Court

The Kokstad FCS secured another life imprisonment sentence for a 45-year-old man who, the police said, raped his 5-year-old niece in the Gowan Lea policing precinct on 28 December 2025. The Umzimkhulu Regional Court handed down that sentence.

In a separate matter, the court sentenced a 19-year-old woman to 20 years’ direct imprisonment after she was found guilty of raping her 9-year-old neighbour in the Ibisi area. The police said the woman called the child to her room, instructed the child to undress and raped her with her fingers.

All convicted rapists mentioned by police will have their names entered in the National Register of Sexual Offenders, the South African Police Service said.