Rhodes Park murderers get four life terms each

The three men who raped two women and drowned their husbands in a lake at Rhodes Park in Johannesburg were handed four life sentences each in the South Gauteng High Court yesterday.

Judge Papi Masopa said the men treated the victims in a disgraceful and barbaric manner.

On October 17, 2015, a group of eight men, including Mduduzi Lawrence Mathibela, 33, Edmore Ndlovu, 24, and Thabo Nkala, 26, accosted and robbed two couples who were taking a stroll in Rhodes Park in Kensington.

Armed with a gun and a knife, the group forced their victims to lie on the ground. They used a knife to cut off the panties of both women and then raped them.

They forced the women’s partners to undress, tied them up and made them wade into the lake where they later drowned. The gang stole their clothes, jewellery and a cellphone which they later sold for R320. Judge Masopa said: “After raping the women, they laughed and said their husbands were fools for swimming in a lake instead of in a pool. It means they knew what they were doing.”

Masopa said he found it difficult to understand why the accused had to drown the men when they hadn’t displayed any resistance.

He also hammered on the lack of remorse shown by the assailants. Masopa found each man guilty of robbery, two counts of rape and two counts of murder.

The remaining five suspects, who are believed to be foreigners, are apparently hiding in Zimbabwe.

One of them was arrested last year in Zimbabwe, where he had committed another crime. He is expected to be extradited when that matter is resolved.