Serial rapist sentenced to 35 years behind bars

KWAZULU-NATAL: The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes the sentence of 35 years’ direct imprisonment handed down by the Vryheid Regional Court to Thabani Innocent Zulu (46).

Zulu pleaded guilty, in terms of Section 112 of the Criminal Procedure Act, to three counts of rape, common robbery, and robbery with aggravating circumstances. The accused and the complainants were not known to each other.

Regional spokesperson of the National Prosecuting Authority, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, said, “Between November 2010 and April 2012, Zulu targeted three women in the Vryheid area. He accosted them in or near the Ngome forest area, took them into the forest, and raped them. On two of the occasions, he also robbed the complainants, using a firearm during one of the robberies. During the robberies, Zulu took the victims’ cellphones, a handbag, and money before fleeing the scenes. All three complainants reported the matters to the police and underwent medical examinations, during which swabs were collected for DNA analysis.”

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Zulu remained at large until July 2021, when he was convicted of four unrelated robberies in the Bulwer area and sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment.

A subsequent DNA-led investigation identified him as a suspect in the Ngome cases. A confirmatory buccal sample was taken, and forensic analysis positively linked him to the three rapes and related robberies.

In aggravation of sentence, Prosecutor Kwazikwakhe Theophilus Sibiya told the court that Zulu is a serial rapist, who violated the dignity, bodily integrity, and privacy of the complainants.

He emphasised that Zulu’s commission of these offences while already serving another sentence demonstrated a complete disregard for the law. The court was also provided with the complainants’ medical reports, the DNA report, and confirmation of the sample obtained from the accused.

The court imposed the prescribed minimum sentences for each offence without deviation. Zulu was sentenced as follows: 10 years’ imprisonment on each of the three counts of rape, 15 years’ imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances, and five years’ imprisonment for common robbery.

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The court ordered that certain counts run concurrently, resulting in an effective sentence of 35 years’ imprisonment. Zulu was also declared unfit to possess a firearm, and the court ordered that his name be entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.

“This successful outcome is the result of the NPA’s Serial Rapist Prioritisation Initiative, led by the Sexual Offences and Community Affairs Unit in partnership with the SAPS Serial Electronic and Communication Investigative Unit. The initiative focuses on the identification, investigation, and prosecution of serial rape cases across the country. The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the finalisation of this matter and trusts that the sentence will send a strong message that perpetrators of gender-based violence will be held accountable,” Ramkisson-Kara concluded.