17 charges for suspect in violent crime spree

AN serial rape suspect, who allegedly pretended to be a furniture salesman to lure one of his victims, is facing 17 charges relating to genderbased violence.

Siphebawo Mgoqi is facing 17 charges of violence, kidnapping, murder, attempted murder, rape, robbery and fraud. Five of these charges are rape.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, said Mgoqi’s pre-trial proceedings is set to continue in the Western Cape High Court after he appeared in absentia on Friday.

The State is set to prove that Mgoqi went on a spree of violent crime in 2016 in Philippi and Philippi-East.

He is believed to be behind the rape, kidnapping and attempted murder of a woman on April 4, 2016, in the vicinity of Brown’s Farm, Philippi.

Mgoqi allegedly kidnapped this victim from Heinz Park to Philippi where he robbed her of her cellphone and cash before raping her.

A second victim, Ziyanda Ndabeni, 21, had also been lured from Heinz Park to Philippi in June 2016, where her cellphone was taken violently before she was raped and stabbed.

A third victim, who cannot be identified, was lured to bushes in Brown’s Farm, Philippi in July 2016, where she was also threatened violently and her cellphone and R3500 cash was taken.

This victim was also raped and Mgoqi also attempted to kill her.

In September 2016, Mgoqi is believed to have lured a fourth victim in Heinz Park, where he threatened her with her knife before raping her.

The State further alleges that he also kidnapped and raped a fifth victim in Philippi East in December 2016.