UCT rapist gets 9 life sentences

Mthunzi Hlomane‚ better known as the notorious UCT rapist‚ has pleaded guilty to 18 charges in the Cape Town High Court on Monday.

Hlomane‚ 43‚ preyed on women near the Rhodes Memorial at the University of Cape Town. He faced 28 charges which included rape‚ assault‚ kidnapping and robbery.

Hlomane entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the state and was handed nine life sentences.

"All the crimes [Hlomane] pleaded guilty to‚ are serious in nature an involve vulnerable victims‚ i.e. young women‚ walking or jogging alone. These rapes were committed after [they] had been planned by [Hlomane] in that he targeted victims fitting a certain profile‚'' the agreement read.

The crimes were committed between November last year and February this year.

The university had offered a reward of R100 000 for information that could lead to the arrest of the rapist who had attacked students.

When he was caught in February‚ police had initially linked him to a rape that took place on November 19‚ 2015.

"During the incident a 23-year-old female was raped at the bottom of Rhodes Memorial and robbed of her personal belongings‚'' police spokesman Andre Traut said at the time.

- TMG Digital/The Times