Hundreds of years’ jail for serial rapist
Victims weep with joy as judge lambasts actions of ‘heartless, barbaric’ attacker
AYOUNG mother who was one of at least 17 victims of a “barbaric” serial rapist has described how she is reminded every day of the horror he inflicted on her when she washes her disfigured face and sees the scars in the mirror.
The woman was speaking minutes after a judge handed Mzikayise Mkavu, 27, a mammoth prison sentence of hundreds of years yesterday following his conviction of a litany of violent crimes.
Mkavu, of KwaNobuhle, showed no emotion as Judge Mandela Makaula read out one life sentence after another in the Port Elizabeth High Court.
Mkavu was given 13 life sentences and an additional 228 years behind bars after being found guilty on 17 counts of rape and other offences. Nine of his victims were in the gallery. They sobbed, gasped and exclaimed with joy as Makaula read out the jail term.
“I run out of adjectives to describe the actions of the accused,” he said.
“He is a heartless person and his actions were barbaric.
“The prosecution summed it up when it said he is like a vicious predator roaming the streets at night, looking for prey.”
Besides the rapes, Mkavu was also convicted of eight counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, five counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, three of attempted robbery, two of assault and one of attempted murder.
He was arrested in April last year in connection with a rape reported in January and a DNA sample was positively linked to the other crimes. He pleaded guilty to all charges.
The young mother said seeing Mkavu in court felt like a dream.
“Ever since I was raped, I dreamt of the day my attacker would be brought to justice.
“When I saw him standing here [yesterday], a feeling of joy came over me. My dreams have come true,” she said, smiling.
The 25-year-old lost an eye during the attack on December 2 2012, which also left her with thick scars across her forehead and the right side of her face.
A Grade 11 pupil at the time of the attack, she was unable to return to school, and now struggles to find employment because she suffers from epileptic fits.
The woman said she had turned her back on religion and the church she once frequented after the attack, and regularly abused alcohol.
She said she was also endlessly teased by members of her community because of her disfigured face.
Despite these difficulties, she was making strides towards improving her life and leaving in the past what had happened to her – her main motivation being her seven-year-old son and oneyear-old daughter.
“Every day, I wash my face and I see these scars in the mirror and I am reminded of what that man did to me,” she said.
“Some days I cry. But I cannot allow him to hold me hostage. “I am not a victim, I am a survivor. “My children are the most important thing to me and I have to show them that I am stronger than this thing that happened to me.
“They are my motivation for moving on.”
Makaula summarised the facts of the case, detailing how each victim was attacked and subsequently affected by the trauma Mkavu inflicted on them.
He said Mkavu had carefully selected his victims, waiting for them in the early morning outside taverns or places they had gone to for a social event.
He used sharp objects to mutilate his victims’ faces – in some cases partially blinding them – before raping them.
“The victims’ pain and anguish was written on their faces,” Makaula said.
“Most of them broke down while testifying in court, showing just how badly these incidents affected them emotionally.”
He could find no compelling circumstances to deviate from the minimum
Some days I cry. But I cannot allow him to hold me hostage
prescribed sentences for these offences and said he would show no mercy as it was up to the court to send a clear message to the community and potential offenders.
“This is a classic case of a serial rapist,” the judge said.
“I have no doubt that, had he not been apprehended, he would have continued to rape and injure women.
“He besieged the community of KwaNobuhle, and even the court was gripped by a sombre atmosphere. Both counsels could not contain their emotions – this is unprecedented.”
During sentencing, Mkavu rocked back and forth slowly, his sweater pulled high onto the back of his neck and his face buried in his hands.
He was ordered to stand up as Makaula read out the sentence, but kept his hands on his cheeks.
When the proceedings concluded, he pulled his sweater over his head and made his way down the flight of stairs leading to the courtroom’s holding cell.
Investigating officer Sergeant Sizwe Gaika believes Mkavu was involved in numerous other cases, but that the crimes he was convicted of were the only ones reported to the police.
“A case like this proves that even if a victim does not know the attacker, something will come up in time and link them to their previous offences,” he said. “No matter what the case, it is imperative that people report crimes to the police. This is one of the worst cases I have ever investigated, but I am happy for the families involved that we could get to the bottom of it.”
National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Tsepo Ndwalaza said they were very happy with the sentence.
“It is like the judge said – the man is a serial rapist and we believe he got the sentence he deserved.
“Hopefully, his imprisonment will give the community some measure of closure,” Ndwalaza said.