Seven life sentences for KwaMbonambi rapist after DNA links him to crimes

A four-year reign of terror in the area of KwaMbonambi, in northern KwaZulu-Natal has ended with the accused being handed seven life terms and an additional 155 years behind bars.

The Mtunzini High Court sentenced 33-year-old Muzikhona Khehla Khumbulani Mthethwa after he pleaded guilty to a string of brutal crimes committed between June 2017 and June 2021.

His convictions include nine counts of rape, five counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, two counts of attempted murder, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and housebreaking with intent to rape. He was not known to his victims.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), “in committing these crimes, Mthethwa would accost the complainants when they were alone or, in some instances, together. He used violence to subdue them before raping and/or robbing them of their belongings.”

In one attack, “he raped two women in the presence of each other.”

The victims were mostly adult women, with one minor among them. In another incident, an adult male was robbed alongside his girlfriend.

Mthethwa’s crimes might have remained unsolved were it not for forensic evidence. He was eventually arrested while already in custody for other matters and linked to the offences through DNA analysis. In court, the State presented J88 medical reports and DNA evidence directly connecting him to the attacks.

Victim Impact Statements painted a devastating picture of the damage left behind.

The NPA said the statements “reflected the profound and lasting impact of the crimes, with the complainants saying that they have suffered physical and emotional trauma, and they now live in fear.”

The court imposed seven life sentences and 40 years for rape, 30 years for attempted murder, five years for housebreaking with intent to rape, five years for assault GBH, and 75 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances. The additional sentences will run concurrently with the life terms. Mthethwa was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.

The complainants were assisted at the Ngwelezane Thuthuzela Care Centre, part of a national network that provides integrated medical care, counselling and court support to survivors of sexual violence. 

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