A 29-year-old South African man has been detained in police custody. Allegedly, he used social media to lure two women to his home, where he raped them.
The two victims; aged 15 and 22, were raped by the same man – however, on separate occasions. These incidents happened on the 21st and 26th of June respectively, at Vezubuhle near Kwamhlanga, Mpumalanga. Consequently, the South African Police carried out an investigation. They concluded that they were dealing with an alleged serial rapist.
“The investigation has revealed that the suspect would lure his victims on social media platforms by sending friend requests. So, once they befriend him, he would then constantly chat with them for a few days before inviting them to his place.” The spokesperson, Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said in a statement on Tuesday.
The first victim was supposedly asked by the South African man to accompany him to an event, as his date .”When she went to his place, he welcomed her politely and invited her to his room. As soon as she entered, he allegedly took out a firearm and instructed her to undress, assaulted her, and then raped her. “This matter was reported to the police, who opened a case of rape”; the spokesman further explained. The second victim also met a similar fate.
More Difficulty For The South African Man
In addition to the rape charges, the South African Police were also able to link the 29-year-old man to an unsolved murder. This occurred in May 2020. “On that day, a lifeless body of 28-year-old Nonhlanhla Happy Maseko was discovered. She was dumped under the bridge on the R573 road at Vezubuhle, near Kwamhlanga.”
“At the time when the body was discovered, the suspect was unknown. However, the investigation has now uncovered some new information. That is to say, that the suspect on the murder of Maseko is the same [suspect] who allegedly raped the two victims,” Hlathi explained.
The provincial commissioner of SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant-General Mondli Zuma, praised the police for a job well done.
The South African man is due back in the Kwamhlanga Magistrate’s Court on 13 July for a formal bail application.
