ESWATINI NATIONAL AND FACEBOOK SERIAL RAPIST SENTENCED TO TWO LIFE TERMS AND 124 YEARS IMPRISONMENT
The Mpumalanga Division of the High Court has today convicted and sentenced Facebook serial rapist from the Kingdom of Eswatini to two life terms and additional 124 years imprisonment for multiple counts of rape he committed in Matsulu and Kaapmuiden during the period April 2020 – August 2021. Mcolisi Mthombothi (27), was convicted on 12 counts of rape, four counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, two counts of extortion, an attempt to commit a sexual offence, and three counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. The accused was further charged with Contravention of the Immigration Act. He met with his victims on Facebook on different occasions while he met others randomly. He would use false names and photographs on his Facebook profiles and begin to have a love relationship with some of the victims and sometimes promise them jobs and at times demand money to be deposited into his account. In some instances, he would advise them to meet with him face-to-face.
Upon arrival, he would take his victims to a nearby bush, rob them of their belongings and rape them. The accused reign of terror ended in 2022, after an awareness campaign led by the local police alerting community members about a man who was committing sexual offences in the area. During the investigation, the accused was arrested and was identified through an identification parade. The accused was positively linked through DNA.
In court, the accused entered into a plea and sentence agreement and told the court that his rape spree had begun because he did not have a place to stay and decided to commit robberies to raise money for the rental where he was staying. In aggravation of sentence, State Advocate Zwelethu Mata, addressed the court about the nature and the seriousness of the offences the accused has committed he said, the accused played with the emotions of women and attacked them when they were alone at night making them even more vulnerable.
Judge Kgama Shai, sentenced the accused accordingly. The court ordered the accused’s name to be entered into the National Register for Sexual Offenders and was further declared unfit to possess a firearm. The court ordered some of the sentences to run concurrently, the effective sentence being life.
The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the sentence imposed on the accused and further warns the public to be cautious when using social media platforms especially when they decide to meet up with their new friends.
