A Swellendam serial killer has been sentenced to six life terms and 17 years’ in prison following the senseless murders he committed between 2016 to 2017 in small towns around the Western Cape.
On Monday, Brian Mudyiwayana, who hails from Zimbabwe, was sentenced according to the numerous charges brought against him, including six counts of murder, a count of robbery with aggravating circumstances and two counts of being in the country illegally.
While Mudyiwayana has claimed that he is remorseful for the murders he committed, he has also indicated that he was under the influence of muti, and therefore, had no control over bludgeoning some of his victims to death.
He murdered Moleboheng Mafata, Gladys Ntondini, Grace Nyasha Hondo, Naume Gwengwe, Lungelwa Dangatye and Michael Pekaan during his killing spree.
Mudyiwayana had lured many of his victims with the promise of jobs and under the guise of love. The remains of the women had been found in open fields across a number of small towns in the Western Cape, as per IOL.
Pekaan, the only man amongst the victims, had died due to blunt force trauma and was found in his home, as per News24. Neighbours claimed that Mudyiwayana had loaded a number of goods onto a bakkie, including Pekaan’s fridge, DSTV decoder, three television sets, a lawnmower, a new pair of work boots, a pair of training shoes, a DVD player, bedding and a matric ball dress.
According to a number of witnesses brought to take the stand, Mudyiwayana lacked empathy and showed no signs of emotions when speaking about his crimes. Instead, Lieutenant-Colonel Elmarie Myburgh indicated that he was a serial killer that was motivated by power, control and excitement.
As the sentence was handed down, Judge Derek Wille stated that Mudyiwayana needed to permanently be removed from society, especially as gender-based violence within South Africa reaches new heights.
“In my view, an unambiguous message needs to be sent to the offenders who participate in gender-based violence and crime. The circumstances of this particular case demand that the offender, for all practical purposes, is permanently removed from society.
“Further, without rehabilitation, I do not envisage how parole would be appropriate in the circumstances of this case, this is however an issue for the prison authorities,” Wille said.
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Picture: Cape {town} Etc Gallery