Serial rapist gets more jail time
ANGRY HER TAX MONEY IS PAYING FOR HIM Mthethwa, who is HIV positive, receives a further five years for rape, murder.
One of the victims of a Zimbabwean serial rapist is angry that her tax money is used to keep her rapist in jail and to treat him for HIV. “I’m not happy. They’re using my taxes to keep him in jail and he’s getting anti-retrovirals. My kids are suffering because of him. But at least I’m glad he’s out of the community,” the woman said.
Other victims and the investigating team expressed relief that Charles Mthethwa, 35, of Tembisa had been caught as they believed many more women would have been raped and murdered if he hadn’t been apprehended.
Lucy Modika, the mother of one of his victims, Miriam Modika, who has since died, said she was very happy about his sentence, but found it difficult to raise her grandson on her own.
“I have forgiven him. I gave him to God. God will deal with him,” she said.
Acting Judge Jonas Mosopo yesterday sentenced Mthethwa, who is already serving six life terms for rape and murder, to a further five life terms and over 200 years imprisonment on a count of murder, 10 of rape, eight of kidnapping and five of robbery,
Mthethwa, who was linked to the rapes and the May 2014 murder of 38-year-old Wizzie Chimalimo through DNA evidence, pleaded guilty to all of the charges, but never explained what had motivated him to commit the crimes.
Chimalimo’s half naked body was discovered in the bushes near the Hennops River hours after she failed to arrive at work. She had been raped and strangled to death.
Mthethwa was in June this year sentenced in the High Court in Thohoyandou to six life terms for a series of rapes and the murder of a policeman’s wife.
He was caught by the community in 2015 and taken to the police station, where one of his victims who was reporting the crime to the police recognised him. He was subsequently linked through his DNA to numerous rapes in the Pretoria and Thohoyandou areas.
The HIV-positive Mthethwa had preyed on women walking alone. He threatened his victims with a knife or throttled them and then dragged them to secluded places where he raped and robbed them of their personal possessions.
One of his victims was only 14 years old when Mthethwa dragged her into the veld and brutally raped her and another victim was pregnant. Another victim was strangled until she passed out and raped after Mthethwa first pretended to pray with her.
I’m not happy. They’re using my taxes to keep him in jail and he’s getting anti-retrovirals. My kids are suffering because of him. But at least I’m glad he’s out of the community. Victim of serial rapist Charles Mthethwa