The hitchhike serial killer who tied down an Ikageng woman, scalped and raped her and cracked her skull with a rock, was recently sentenced to two life sentences in the Phalaborwa high court for murder.
The 55-year-old Boy John Ngobeni was also sentenced to thirty years for two counts of rape and fifteen years for robbery after he cold-bloodedly murdered Ms Nomathemba Conny Peach in 2012. Her badly decomposed body was discovered on a New Machavie farm near Matlwang village.
As reported in the Herald on 22 June 2012, the police spokesperson, Brig. Thulani Ngubane said the victim’s body was found facing downwards with her scalp removed and distinct cracks in her skull. Both ears had been hacked off and were lying a distance away from the body. Her family identified her through clothes and jewellery as her body and her face, in particular, had been so badly disfi-gured that it was difficult to identify her.
Nomathemba, who was an educator at that time, was last seen by two of her learners as she was hitchhiking from Randfontein to Klerksdorp on May 31. She was on her way to fetch her car from the mechanical workshop. Sadly, she never got the chance to drive it away.
Morema says Ngobeni targeted his victims at hitchhiking spots between Limpopo and Carletonville.
“I went to Limpopo after following leads. I picked up that there was a similar case with the similar modus operandi to the Nomathemba case. I interacted with the investigating officer that side and he helped with the investigation. The convict was linked to the murders through DNA because some of the victims’ bodies had already decomposed. The cases were then linked and the suspect was tried in Limpopo for both cases at the same time,” he explained.
According to Morema, Ngobeni is also believed to have murdered his girlfriend in 2014. She was reported missing by her family. Her body was discovered in a shallow grave when a skull was unearthed. DNA tests were conducted to establish the identity of the victim.
Morema says teamwork played a major role in this case and thanked Const. Kubu and Const. Mothebe from Ikageng SAPS and Ikageng detectives and head of detectives, Lt. Col. Johan Scholtz who all helped tremendously in this case.
“We would like to warn hitchhikers, especially women, to be vigilant be-cause there are sadistic people out there who take advantage of them,” he cautioned.
