Trial of alleged serial rapist from eMbalenhle resumes in court

The trial of alleged serial rapist Themba Mpanza resumed on May 12 at the Evander Regional Court, where he faces multiple charges.

Mpanza stands accused of six counts of rape, six of kidnapping, and one count of assault with the intent of causing grievous bodily harm.

The allegations involve a series of incidents targeting young women, some of whom were reportedly hitchhiking or assisting him with directions.

According to the State prosecutor, three of the victims were picked up while hitchhiking. In another case, he allegedly lured a 14-year-old girl from Leandra under the pretence of needing directions. He allegedly diverted from the route, driving out of Leandra past Eendracht via the R29, and raped her in a nearby field.

Mpanza, arrested in 2022, was denied bail and has remained in custody since then. After the court denied his bail application, Mpanza dismissed his attorney and chose to represent himself in court.

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During the recent proceedings, Constable Skhumbuzo Dube of the Leandra police took the stand. Dube testified he commissioned a withdrawal statement submitted by one victim and her mother.

Sergeant Hezekiel Malapela, the investigating officer handling all cases against Mpanza, revealed in his testimony that the victim’s family had a visit from a man claiming to be a police officer.

This impersonator reportedly presented them with a pre-written statement and instructed them to transcribe it onto a clean affidavit.

He allegedly escorted them to the Leandra Police Station, where Constable Dube unknowingly signed the new affidavit.

The impersonator left with the document but mistakenly left behind the original instruction sheet, which listed the victim and her mother’s names and had been copied verbatim on the new affidavit.

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A case of impersonating a police officer has since been opened at Embalenhle Police Station. The court also heard the victims received threatening messages from unknown numbers.

Only two complainants reportedly escaped this harassment by changing their phone numbers. As Mpanza is representing himself, he was allowed to cross-examine the complainants.

During the cross-examination, he aggressively questioned one victim about the authenticity of her affidavit and the missing pages in the document.

However, the magistrate repeatedly reminded him to limit his questions to matters relevant to the victim’s testimony and not to ask about the statements of other witnesses, like Malapela and Dube.

In response to Mpanza’s persistent questioning, the victim stated that the missing page of her affidavit was with the investigating officer. The court postponed the trial to May 23 to allow Malapela to produce the missing document.