A 32-year-old man rapist who terrorised women near the Tongaat Hullett Estates in Kwazulu-Natal between March 2014 and December 2015 has been sentenced to five life terms plus an additional total of 100 years in jail.

Nkosinathi Mthembu‚ also known as Mashamplani‚ was convicted by the Durban High Court on Friday on a string of charges‚ including rape‚ sexual assault‚ robbery‚ theft‚ housebreaking and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.    

According to Kwazulu-Natal police spokesman Major Shooz Magudulela‚ Mthembu would lie in wait for his victims and pounce on them while they were asleep after first making sure that there were no men at their homes.

“Women in Tongaat had been living in fear for almost two years during Mthembu’s serial incidents until Tongaat investigators apprehended him with the help of Crime Intelligence and Visible Policing.

“He was tried at Verulam Regional Court after his arrest and his matter was transferred to the Durban High Court where he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for each case of rape and a total of 100 years for other charges‚” said Maj Magudulela.

KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Mmamonnye Ngobeni applauded Tongaat police for their determination in solving the cases by linking the evidence through samples and taking a well-prepared docket to court which led to a successful prosecution.

“This heinous criminal will serve the rest of his life behind bars‚ which is a good consequence for all other rapists like him. Criminals in his calibre deserve to be in prison indefinitely‚” she said.