Serial Killer Sentenced To Six Life Terms And 17 Years Imprisonment
Swellendam, Western Cape: Serial killer Brian Mudyiwayana has been sentenced to six life terms and 17 years imprisonment, and the court declared he deserved to be permanently removed from society. On Monday, Mudyiwayana was convicted for the premeditated murders of Moleboheng Mafata, Gladys Ntondini, Grace Nyasha Hondo, Naume Gwengwe, Lungelwa Dangatye and Michael Pekaan. He was also convicted on a count of robbery with aggravating circumstances and two counts of the Contravention of the Refugees Act, 130 of 1998.
Delivering a sentence, Judge Derek Wille said gender-based violence in South Africa has regrettably reached pandemic proportions. “In my view, an unambiguous message needs to be sent to the offenders who participate in gender-based violence and crime”. The circumstances of this particular case demand, that the offender, for all practical purposes, is permanently removed from society. Further, without rehabilitation, I do not envisage how parole would be appropriate in the circumstances of this case, this is however an issue for the prison authorities).
Senior State Adv. Megan Blows called several witnesses during aggravation of sentence including Lieutenant Colonel Elamrie Myburgh, a veteran with 28 years experience in Forensic Investigation and Investigative Psychology who declared Mudyiwayana as a serial killer motivated by power, control and excitement.
She submitted a report which states: “The accused has never shown any remorse for the crimes, as a result, he showed no empathy towards the victims or their families and has no remorse for his actions”. The accused showed no emotion when he spoke about the crimes he has committed. He is unwilling to accept responsibility for the crimes but blamed it on the “muti” he allegedly used which made him commit the crimes. He exhibited no empathy towards the victims and lacked remorse or guilt for his actions. His demeanour can be described as arrogant and dismissive, as he showed no concern for his current legal situation. The author found him to be manipulative and deceitful, and lying comes easy to him.
International literature indicates that serial offenders, and in particular serial murderers, cannot be rehabilitated and that there are no specific nor widely accepted, successful rehabilitation programmes for serial offenders. As a result, numerous examples exist of offenders who, when released from prison, continue to re-offend. The accused’s history of manipulation, denial of responsibility and lack of insight reduce his rehabilitation prospects and the possibility that he can benefit from interventions at this time.
Adv. Blows thanked the investigating officer, Warrant Officer Suzette Lourens, and all other police officers involved for their sterling work. She also attributed the success of the matter to her late colleague, Adv. Mornay Julius, who sadly passed away during the covid19 pandemic.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Adv. Nicolette Bell applauded the court for the befitting sentence handed down to the accused. Bell further congratulated the police and the prosecution teams for the sterling work that led to the appropriate sentence. “Your work will continue to bring positive results and hope to victims of crimes and confidence to the justice system of this country”. We pass our condolences to the families of the victims of these heinous crimes. We know it’s been years since these incidents happened, your wounds have not yet healed but we hope you will find solace knowing that the accused has been sent to prison for a very long time, she added.
Note: The NPA’s media statements are available on the website: www.npa.gov.za
Issued by:
Eric Ntabazalila
National Prosecuting Authority
Regional Communications Manager
Western Cape
Tel: (021) 487 7308Mobile: 073 062 1222
Email: entabazalila@npa.gov.za