Thirty-year-old Siyabulela Satyo Mnkayo from Alexandria was sentenced to undergo four life terms and 125 years imprisonment, on Monday, February 8.
The accused pleaded guilty to 15 counts of rape and robbery with aggravated circumstances as follows, eight counts of rape, five counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances as well as two counts of common robbery.
Mnkayo, it was gathered, continued with his reign of terror on unsuspecting women at Alexandria with impunity from 2012 until June 2018.
Police spokesperson, Captain Khaya Tonjeni, said a rape case was allegedly committed on 3 January, 2018, where an 18-year-old woman was involved.
Mnkayo was profiled and his DNA sample taken and sent to the lab. When results came he was positively linked through the DNA and was later connected to other unsolved rape cases. He was arrested on 06 May 2019 and remained in custody until his day of sentencing.
His modus operandi when committing these crimes was similar, targeting women who were walking alone or at night. He usually attacked women from behind and assaulted them before he raped them.
His victims were between 16 and 45 years of age. After the rape he then robbed them of their personal belongings like money and cellphones.
Some of the cases he was charged for are as follows, “03 January 2012 – It was alleged that the suspect raped an 18-year-old woman and a case was opened.
“02 June 2012 – A 29-year-old woman was raped. 15 December 2012 – A 45-year-old woman was raped. 01 June 2013 – Rape of a 47-years-old woman was reported. 01 May 2013 a case of rape of 46-year-old woman was reported. On 18 October 2015 a case of rape of a 20-year-old woman was opened.”
Another case of rape of a 20-year-old woman was opened on 17 June 2018 and she is the survivor that helped identify the suspect.
The trial began on 1 February, 2021 and sentence was meted on 8 February, 2021 at Grahamstown High Court.
Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner Lt Gen Liziwe Ntshinga applauded the detective, W/O Mlulami Mafani for his meticulous use of appropriate technology and investigation aids that resulted in the arrest, conviction and welcome sentence.
“The appropriate use of DNA evidence not only led to the outcome, but also helped solve other cold cases of rape that were committed by the perpetrator in the area of Alexandria”, she added.