Killer caught in St Francis Bay guilty

THE social media serial killer who tortured and murdered three women in KwaZulu-Natal before being found hiding out in St Francis Bay was found guilty yesterday.

Siphiwe Khoza, 36, was found guilty by the Durban High Court on three counts of murder, one of rape and three counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances.

Khoza was arrested after a special task team tracked him to an Eastern Cape hideout.

His arrest in 2013 came after Port Elizabeth police received a tip-off that Khoza was travelling by bus to Jeffreys Bay.

Detectives spent a weekend tracking his movements before arresting him in St Francis Bay.

Khoza murdered Phindile Ndlovu, Philisiwe Hlatshwayo and Bongiwe Majozi. Hlatshwayo and Majozi were teachers, while Ndlovu was a domestic worker in Hillcrest.

Khoza allegedly lured his victims via social media before pouncing on them.

The bodies of the three women were found partly burnt in cane fields near Tongaat. This prompted residents to dub him the Tongaat serial killer.

The court heard how Khoza befriended his victims on Facebook and communicated with them just hours before they disappeared.

Khoza tortured his victims for their ATM pin codes before stealing their cellphones, raping, then killing them.

Sentence is expected to be handed down soon.