SECUNDA – Bheki Khumalo (33) from eMbalenhle was found guilty of 48 out of 57 charges for different crimes, including murder and rape, in the Secunda Regional Court on Tuesday, 25 March.
Magistrate Victor Ball withdrew the other nine counts because the witnesses relocated and investigating officers could not locate them.
Other crimes Khumalo was found guilty of, included attempted rape, robbery and kidnapping.
He was accused of 28 counts of rape, 21 of kidnapping, six counts of robbery, one of attempted rape and one of murder. Khumalo committed these crimes in eMbalenhle, Evander and Kinross between 2003 and 2010.
He would stop women and girls in the streets and threatened them with a panga and rape them in deserted areas.
Col Leonard Hlathi, spokesman for the Mpumalanga Police, said forensic tests played a major role in apprenhending Khumalo.
“The tests results suggested that there was a serial rapist operating in the area.
“The findings were confirmed through the DNA profiles on many rape cases and a list of the cases involved was sourced and all the necessary dockets were obtained for proper analysis.
“Upon perusal of the dockets that originated from various stations in the area, it became apparent that the modus operandi was similar and a conclusion was drawn to the fact that there were common identification features of the perpetrator.”
Col Hlathi said they were compelled to compile an identikit with the help of the victims.
“The members of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) in Secunda, devoted more time and worked tirelessly on this matter.
“Their exceptional qualities and diligence contributed immensely in identifying the villain and put his barbaric acts to an end when he was arrested in eMbalenhle on January 2011.”
Khumalo appeared several times at court and will be sentenced on 7 April.
