Serial rapist gets 25 more years after victim spots him in hospital

News24

23-06-2025

Zakhele Mahlangu tied his victim with a seatbelt, forcibly removed her clothing and raped her multiple times without protection.
The case had gone cold until the victim spotted her attacker under heavy prison guard escort at a local hospital and raised the alarm.
He was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 2016 rape.
A convicted serial rapist already serving multiple sentences has been found guilty of yet another rape after one of his victims recognised him during a routine hospital visit and alerted the police.
THE 2016 ATTACK
On that fateful Saturday afternoon in May 2016, the victim, then 21 years old, was on her way to a hitchhiking spot along Secunda Road (R546) near Charl Cilliers in Standerton, Mpumalanga, provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane explained in a statement.
According to Ndubane, at approximately 2pm, before reaching her destination, she accepted a lift from Zakhele Isaac Mahlangu (44), who was driving a white vehicle and claimed he was headed in the same direction.
While en route, he diverted from the main road, claiming he needed to pick up others from a nearby farm.
He turned onto a gravel road near a dumping site, crossed a railway line and stopped the vehicle. It is alleged that he moved to the passenger seat, used a hat to cover the victim's nose, and physically assaulted her. The suspect then tied her with a seatbelt, forcibly removed her clothing and raped her multiple times without protection, despite her resistance and cries for help.
Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane
After the attack, Mahlangu wiped himself and the victim with an old cloth, removed the vehicle's registration plates, and hid them under the driver's seat.
He then threw the victim's belongings out of the vehicle and dumped her in an isolated area.
The victim managed to contact emergency services and was referred to Standerton Police Station for investigation and medical examination.
THE COLD CASE BREAKTHROUGH
The case went cold until late last year when the victim encountered Mahlangu under heavy prison guard escort at a local hospital.
She immediately recognised him and reported to the police that he was the man who had attacked her.
Ndubane said:
In a dramatic twist, the victim, who had not seen her attacker since the incident, recognised him years later while he was under the escort of prison wardens at a local hospital.
She further explained that the police swiftly investigated the matter, and the suspect was positively linked to the crime, formally charged and brought to trial.
SENTENCING
On 20 June 2025, the Standerton Magistrates' Court sentenced him to 25 years' imprisonment for the 2016 rape.
This sentence will run concurrently with multiple other terms he is already serving for a string of violent crimes.
PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS
In August 2021, the same offender was convicted and handed down multiple sentences for a series of crimes committed during his reign of terror in Standerton between 2014 and 2017.
Rape Convictions:
Three counts: Life imprisonment each
Five counts: 15 years each
One count: 25 years
The acting provincial police commissioner, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, has welcomed the conviction and the recent sentencing of the serial rapist.