DNA Links 55-Year-Old to Eight Free State Rape Cases After Community Arrest

Overview

• Community members chased down a suspect after a 21-year-old was attacked at the Magengenene graveyard in Mangaung and handed him to police.
• Forensic profiling has tied the man to seven earlier rapes and robberies—five in Mangaung and two in Welkom—bringing the total linked cases to eight dating back to 1999.
• The South African Police Service says the attacker targeted women by invoking ancestral rituals, instructing victims to undress, cutting their hair, and burning it on graves before assaults and robberies.
• Police records indicate he was on parole and allegedly resumed offending in 2022; a spokesperson also noted he had been arrested previously and released on bail.
• He is expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrates' Court on multiple charges as Detective Sergeant Bessie Nthoba leads the probe and officers urge additional victims to contact police or Crime Stop.