Pretoria serial killer Willington Kachidza was sentenced to six life terms and 192 years imprisonment for various crimes at the North Gauteng High Court on Wednesday.

Kachidza described through his guilty plea how he lured his victims and extorted their families for ransom money before killing them.

He pleaded guilty to multiple crimes including six murder charges, eight kidnappings, three rapes, robbery with aggravating circumstances and theft.

The court accepted his plea and convicted him on 34 counts in total.

Kachidza detailed in his guilt plea how he lured victims from their places of work under false pretences that he bought a car but needed help to fetch it in Eersterust as he did not have a driver’s licence.

On arrival in Eersterust, he would convince his victims that the car was on one of the plots on the other side of a mountain.

He said when they reached the top of the mountain, he would bash his victims on the head with a stone before instructing the victims to call their loved ones to demand a ransom.

After receiving the ransom, Khachidza would then strike the victims on the head with a rock and leave them to die on the mountain.

In one of the incidents, Khachidza said, “On November 25 in 2019, I approached Tebatso Mogoathlo, a security guard, at his place of employment and asked him to help me fetch the motor vehicle that I had purchased as I did not have a driving licence.

“I promised to pay him R900 after we fetch the car. He agreed and boarded a taxi to Eersterust. Upon arrival, I convinced him that the vehicle was at the plots of the other side of the mountain and that we had to take a shortcut to get there quickly,” Khachidza said.

“When we were at the top of the mountain, I immediately attacked him by striking him with a stone which caused him to fall to the ground. I then removed his shoelaces and tied his hands. I took his cellphone and told him to call his mother to inform her that he has been kidnapped and I demanded R3 000 ransom to be paid in his account.

“R2 000 was deposited and after I saw the notification, on his cellphone, I crushed his head with a rock and left his body on the mountain. I later withdrew the money and kept the cellphone that I forcefully took from him.”

Kachidza explained how he raped and robbed one of his female victims after he had promised her a job.

“On September 5, I met with the complainant after I had misled her that I had found her. We met at the Bosman taxi rank and took a train to Hercules. We then took a footpath through the veld.

“When we got in a stream in a bush area in Hercules, I grabbed her and forcefully took her J5 Samsung cellphone and R250 cash that she had.”

He then raped her.

“When I finished, I told her to call her brother to tell him she has been kidnapped and that he must pay R2 000 ransom money to Shoprite money market. After the money was sent, I then left and withdrew the money.”

Kachidza also pleaded guilty to contravening the immigration act.

“I entered the Republic of South Africa on a date I cannot remember without a valid permit or authorisation until at the time of my arrest in connection with the matter.”

NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said they are committed to ensuring that people who commit such gruesome crimes are prosecuted.

“We welcome the sentence.”

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