Murderer placed body parts outside his rape victim’s home, court finds

The Pretoria high court has found Raymond Mkanzi guilty of raping his neighbour and later planting a dead man's body parts outside her home after his arrest on the rape charges.

Judge S Madiba on Thursday convicted Mkanzi, from Skierlik, Pienaarspoort, of kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, sexual assault, rape and murder.

As the judgment was handed down, Mkanzi sat emotionless as he looked at the judge.

Mkanzi has been found guilty of kidnapping his rape victim and her friend after the three went to East Lynne for Mkanzi to collect money from his sister and pay a debt he allegedly owed the rape victim.

After the three travelled by train, they got off at Silverton station where Mkanzi said a route through the bush was a shortcut.

After arriving at a dump site, the victim alleged, Mkanzi hit her friend on the head with a rock and sexually assaulted her. She said she was then raped by Mkanzi, who forced the women to remain in the field throughout the night by threatening them with an object resembling a screwdriver. He allegedly told them it was his job to kill people.

Mkanzi also took cellphones, bank cards, store cards, money amounting to R100 and a handbag.

The woman, who managed to escape, alerted community members who allegedly demolished Mkanzi’s shack which he had bought for R2,000.

After his arrest, Mkanzi was released after 48 hours and allegedly called a community leader, Zacharia Tshehlo, and a community member, demanding they rebuild his shack.

On November 5 2019, the victim said, she woke up and found a box on her doorstep containing two fingers, an ear and a note which stated she must meet the author within two days. The parts were from the body of Dean Phillip Brendon Sampson, whom, the court found, Mkanzi had murdered. 

Mkanzi was abducted by the community and taken to a sports ground where he was assaulted until the police took him away.

He had told the court that the victim and other state witnesses colluded with each other to incriminate him falsely.

His version was that he was kidnapped by the victim and other people and watched as Sampson was strangled. He said he was forced to cut off Sampson’s limbs. 

He testified that he did not know the area where he was held captive.

Madiba rejected Mkanzi’s version and said what was surprising was that Mkanzi, who claimed not to know the place, was able to lead the police in the dark and point out the body. He even went 500m further to show them a plastic bag in a hole containing knives and a toothbrush.

Madiba found that Mkanzi had pre-planned Sampson's murder.

“All eyes and fingers point to the accused as he was involved in the killing of the deceased and the cutting off of his body parts. It is simply not enough to mention names and point them out as killers without justifying such accusations,” he said.

Madiba said Mkanzi was the one who had placed the body parts at his victim's premises and at a neighbour's house.

He said Mkanzi's version of events was not supported by any evidence, only by his “say so”.

“The accused is the only person with the knowledge of how the deceased died, and despite knowing, the accused failed to report to the police this incident.

Mkanzi was earlier asked why he didn't report Sampson's murder to the police. He replied that he thought it was not necessary.

However, the judge said his failure to report the murder was worrisome.

“The only inference to be drawn is that the accused was involved in the killing of the deceased and simply implicated other people to cover his tracks and to save his skin. His version should be rejected.”

The judge said: “It is quite clear that the deceased's death was pre-planned and premeditated. He was taken to Eesterust, where he was last seen by his girlfriend on November 2019 at about 2am. He was taken to a dumping site, had both feet and hands tied and was led to a slaughterhouse where, like an animal, he was murdered.

“His body parts were harvested for reasons only known to the killer. His body, like a dead animal, was dumped into a ditch, covered with grass and left to decay.”

Madiba said the timing and the place of the killing were well calculated and planned away from prying eyes. The dumpsite was deemed appropriate by the killer to hide the body.

The court has heard that Mkanzi has previous convictions.

The matter continues on Friday for sentencing.

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