MASOYI – Siyabonga Nyalunga of Masoyi’s Mphatseni Trust was found guilty of four charges of rape, two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, one crime of robbery, two counts of compelled rape, and one offence of pointing a firearm.

He admitted to all 10 charges. The spokesperson for the Mpumalanga National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Monica Nyuswa, said, “These crimes were committed between June 2015 and May 2019 in Masoyi and the surrounding areas, when Nyalunga, with his unknown accomplices who are still at large, terrorised women walking on the streets.” Nyuswa said, “Nyalunga and his accomplices threatened the victims with firearms, raped them, and robbed them of their belongings, including cash and cellphones.

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“The victims were aged between 17 and 47, and some were raped more than once. In one incident in June 2015, the accused and his accomplices terrorised a 23-yearold victim, strangled and raped her. They fled with her cellphone and R150 cash,” she continued.

“In December 2016, two victims walking together from school were threatened at gunpoint by Nyalunga and his accomplices. He raped and robbed them of their cellphones. Nyalunga was linked to the crimes through DNA tests, and two of the victims positively identified Nyalunga in an identification parade.” Masoyi is one of the villages in Mpumalanga that have been identified as a hotspot for such cases. According to the recently released national police crime statistics, crime is rife in this area.