A suspected serial rapist was shot and killed during a confrontation with police in Mandeni on Wednesday morning. 

Provincial police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said the man was hiding at Skhalambazo Road in Mandeni.

“Police officers asked him to open the door but he refused. The door was then forced opened and he attempted to shoot at the police officers.

“He was fatally wounded during the confrontation. An illegal firearm with four rounds of ammunition was found in suspect’s possession,” said Gwala. 

The deceased was linked to 7 cases of rape and robbery. 

“He started his evil deeds from July 2020 until December 2020. He would target women aged between 22 and 29 years old via social media. He used to call himself Vivian Chili.

“He would take his victims into a secluded area in the bushes along the Mandeni railway line where he would rape them numerous times at gunpoint and rob them of their belongings,” she said.