Serial rapist who stalked Eastern Cape farming town gets four life terms, plus 125 years

Serial rapist Siyabulela Mkayo has been sentenced to four life terms and 125 years in prison for raping, assaulting and robbing eight women over six years. .

The 31-year-old from Alexandria, a small farming town in the Eastern Cape, was sentenced by the Grahamstown high court on Monday after he harassed women in the area from 2012 to 2018. His reign of terror started in January 2012 when Mkayo, armed with a knife, accosted a woman walking alone at night, said provincial National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Anelisa Ngcakani.

“He assaulted her from behind, punched and slapped her. He took her cellphone and cash. The assault continued as he dragged her to a nearby bush and raped her. His spree of terror continued using the same modus operandi,” Ngcakani said.

He would approach women walking alone at night or in the early hours of the morning and hit or stab them before raping them.

His last victim was 21 at the time but she escaped after being raped and took the police to his house.

“She was walking alone in the early hours of the morning at Zinkoya area in Alexandria when he grabbed her and dragged her to the house where he lived. He raped her but she managed to escape and ran to the police station. She took the police to the house and Mkayo was arrested. He was linked through DNA evidence to seven of the rapes,” said Ngcakani.

His trial started in January and he was sentenced on Monday after pleading guilty.

During argument in aggravation of sentence, advocate Nickie Turner said Mkayo proved to be a dangerous, persistent and premeditated predator.

“His actions were goal-directed, premeditated and planned. He represents an ongoing danger to the physical and mental wellbeing of women and the community must be protected against him,” she said.

The acting director of public prosecutions in the Eastern Cape, Livingstone Sakata, welcomed the sentence.

“This sentence shows that violence against women can no more be tolerated. I wish to thank both the prosecutor and the investigating team for their determination,” said Sakata.

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