A man who met his victims on Facebook after which he raped three women and killed one, was handed a hefty sentence in the Middelburg High Court yesterday.

Vusi Donald Bhuda (31) pleaded guilty to the murder of Nonhlanhla Maseko, and three counts of rape which occurred between May to June 2020 says National Prosecuting Authority’s Regional Spokesperson Monica Nyuswa.

Bhuda admitted that he would pretend that his victims were going to meet his family, inviting them to his house.

He told the court that Maseko was his girlfriend at the time of her death and claimed that they got involved in an altercation after the she received a call from a male friend.

The fight got physical which resulted in Bhuda strangling and raping Maseko.

“After realising that the deceased was no longer breathing, he took her lifeless body to a bridge on the R573 Road, where it was later discovered,” Nyuswa says.

Bhuda also stole the victim’s belongings.

On June 21 and 23, 2020, he invited two other women he met on Facebook to his home where he raped them.

Judge Thando Mankge sentenced Bhuda to life imprisonment on each count of rape, life imprisonment for murder and another fifteen years for robbery with aggravating circumstances.

Ms Nyuswa says “The NPA welcomes the sentence and hopes that it will send a stern warning that the criminal justice system will deal harshly with the perpetrators of gender-based violence. We further encourage Facebook users, to always be vigilant of the people they communicate with, and more so when they decide to meet with them on Facebook.”