Every parent hopes their children will return home safe and unharmed. Yet, for the families of the victims in a series of gender-based violence cases in Mpumalanga, that sense of security was shattered at the hands of a 22-year-old man.
This week, the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court delivered a measure of justice when he was sentenced to two life sentences and a further 105 years’ imprisonment for multiple offences committed against women and girls.
Simphiwe Xolani Mkhwanazi (22) was convicted on multiple charges including kidnapping, rape, murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and defeating the administration of justice. The crimes were committed in the Amersfoort and Daggakraal areas from July 2021 and August 2023.
Regional spokesperson of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Monica Nyuswa, said that during the investigation, Mkhwanazi first pleaded guilty to the charges before changing his plea to not guilty which led to the State to prove its case.
“During the trial, Mkhwanazi initially pleaded guilty and claimed that the sexual encounters were consensual, alleging that he had romantic relationships with the victims and that the deceased had been involved with his father,” Nyuswa said, adding that he later pleaded not guilty.
According to Nyuswa, Mkhwanazi would target vulnerable women, usually late at night when they were returing home from taverns.
“Armed with a knife, he would threaten his victims, force them into secluded areas, rape them and rob them of their belongings, including cellphones, cash and clothing,” said Nyuswa. One of his victims was murdered and buried in a shallow grave and another was raped in the presence of her family members.
A timeline of events
His first recorded charge, dated 31 July 2021, led to the rape and robbery of a victim who was walking home from a party in Amserfoort.
“She was approached by the accused, who was armed with a knife” according to the NPA. “He dragged her to nearby rocks, raped her and robbed her off her sneackers valued at R1 500, a cellphone and cash.”
On 7 August of the same year, Mkhwanazi entered the home of his next victim and demanded her family members cover themselves with a blanket. He took her to a different room, while armed with a knife, “forced her to kneel and raped her in the presence of her family members” before taking their phones and fleeing the scene.
On 10 June 2023, another woman was raped and robbed of her cellphone after being dragged to an abondoned house by Mkhwanazi and an accomplice. “She immediately reported the incident to the police,” said the NPA.
His most gruesome act of violence led to the death of Ellen Dlamini, who was socialising at a local tavern when he approached her. “Her family reported her missing and three days later, her body was discovered buried in a shallow grave,” the court heard.
Conviction
A DNA analysis was conducted on blood-stained clothing found next to Mkhwanazi while he was asleep. The DNA matched that of Dlamini.
Mkhwanzi was sentenced to five years for two counts of kidnapping each, 20 years for one count of rape, 15 years for two counts of rape each, life imprisonment for rape, life imprisonment for murder, five years for defeating the administration of justice and 20 years for each count of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Addittionlly, he is to be registered on the National Register for Sex Offenders, declared unfit to possess a firearm and unsuitable to work with children.
