NELSPRUIT – The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela has welcomed hefty sentences handed down to 40-year-old Sydwell Mlotshwa for crimes committed between 2017 and 2018. Mlotshwa was sentenced to 13 life terms as well as an additional 105 years imprisonment today, 27 January 2022, by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court sitting in Graskop.
The court heard how between 2017 and 2018 Mlotshwa brutally raped, robbed and assaulted women around Hazyview and Calcutta.
He would target mostly women who were hitch-hiking then offer them a lift and detour to nearby bushes. He would then rape and assault them while threatening them with a firearm or knife.
Mlotshwa was arrested in 2019 after he was linked to all these cases. He pleaded guilty to 27 counts of rape and robberies, yesterday 26 January 2022 hence his sentencing. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm and that his name be entered in the register of the National Sex Offenders.
The Provincial Commissioner has also applauded the team of detectives for their hardwork and thorough investigation that led to this notable conviction.
Source: South African Police Service