A convicted serial rapist serving more than three life sentences and over 100 years has been sentenced to an additional 25 years in jail.

The Standerton Regional Court sentenced Zakhele Isaac Mahlangu (44) for raping a 21-year-old woman on May 7, 2016.

The victim was on her way to a hiking spot along the Secunda road (R546) near Charl Cilliers when Mahlangu offered her a lift in a white vehicle at about 14:00.

“The suspect claimed he was heading in the same direction,” said Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane.

Along the way Mahlangu diverted onto a gravel road, claiming that he was going to pick up other people on a nearby farm.

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He then stopped the vehicle at a dumping site and covered the victim’s face with a hat before physically assaulting her.

“The rapist then tied her up using a seatbelt, forcibly removed her clothing and raped her multiple times without protection, despite her resistance and cries for help,” explained Ndubane.

Mahlangu then removed the vehicle’s number plates, threw the victim’s belongings out of the car and abandoned her in an isolated area.

The victim got another lift to Charl Cilliers where she reported the incident and was referred to the Standerton Police Station for further investigation.

The police took her to hospital for medical examination.

In a dramatic twist of events, the victim later saw the suspect, who was already in jail, being escorted by prison wardens at a hospital,” said Ndubane.

“She immediately alerted the police who acted swiftly to investigate,” added Ndubane.

The suspect was positively identified and charged with rape.

#sapsMP Acting PC of the #SAPS in Mpumalanga, Maj Gen (Dr) Zeph Mkhwanazi, has welcomed the #sentencing handed down to a convicted serial rapist by the Standerton Regional Court for a rape committed in 2016.

The suspect was positively identified, charged with rape, and brought… pic.twitter.com/mLEdUu77nt

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) June 21, 2025

He was convicted on June 9 and was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment on Friday, June 20. The court ordered that the sentence run concurrently with the other sentences that Mahlangu is already serving.

He was declared unfit to possess a firearm. Mahlangu’s trail of criminal records was laid bare before the court.

He was sentenced to 60 days with an option of R600 fine for burglary in September 1998. Mahlangu was also sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for a rape in October 2002.

After being released from jail, Mahlangu was again sentenced to three months’ imprisonment and given a R1 500 fine for assault in April 2013.

In August 2021 the Secunda Sexual Offences Court found Mahlangu guilty of raping several women and stealing their belongings. His reign of terror included kidnapping which dated back to 2014.

The modus operandi that Mahlangu used over the years was to offer lifts to women. He then raped them and stole from them. He has faced 14 counts that included kidnapping, rape and theft.

The court imposed three life sentences and 108 years on Mahlangu at the time. The latest sentence coincides with the latest Mpumalanga crime statistics which placed GBVF as the most-prevalant crime in the province.