SERIAL RAPIST AND MURDERER SENTENCED TO THREE LIFE TERMS AND 10 YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT
28 October 2025
SERIAL RAPIST AND MURDERER SENTENCED TO THREE LIFE TERMS AND 10 YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT
The High Court of South Africa, Mpumalanga Division, has sentenced a 25-year-old serial rapist Comfort Sifundo Nkosi to three life terms and ten years’ imprisonment for gender-based violence-related offences committed in Nhlazatshe, in the district of Elukwatini. Nkosi was convicted for the murder of his girlfriend, Noxolo Portia Mazibuko, and three counts of rape. The two had been in a domestic relationship and shared a child. Between October 2017 and September 2023, Nkosi terrorised women in Nhlazatshe. One of his rape victims was his ex-girlfriend, while the other two were attacked as they returned home from local taverns.
On 14 October 2017, in Nhlazatshe, the accused encountered his ex-girlfriend at a local shop. He dragged her outside, assaulted her, and threatened her with a knife before forcing her to his residence, where he raped her. She later escaped and reported the matter at a nearby medical centre, where she was examined. On 31 October 2021, another victim was returning home from a tavern when she accepted a lift in a vehicle in which the accused was a passenger. After she alighted near her home, Nkosi followed her, grabbed her, and raped her twice.
On 3 September 2023, Nkosi attacked yet another woman returning from the Blue Moon Tavern. He assaulted her, dragged her into nearby bushes, and raped her. Later that same morning, he went to a local tavern where he met his friends and continued drinking. When Mazibuko, his girlfriend, arrived, Nkosi confronted her about the whereabouts of their child. He then grabbed her outside, assaulted her with a stone until she became unresponsive, and transported her to his residence using a wheelbarrow. Emergency services were notified, but Mazibuko was declared dead at the scene. The police were alerted, and Nkosi was arrested shortly thereafter.
In court, Nkosi pleaded not guilty to all charges. However, State Advocate Senzo Zindela presented compelling evidence, including testimonies from victims describing a similar modus operandi, corroborating the first reports, eyewitness accounts, and DNA analysis linking the accused to the crimes. The court found the State’s witnesses credible and consistent, leading to his conviction on one count of murder and three counts of rape. Victim impact statements, facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Nomfundo Mokoena, were also presented. Some victims revealed that they had dropped out of school due to the trauma they suffered, while the deceased’s mother expressed ongoing grief and an inability to come to terms with her daughter’s death.
In aggravation of sentence, Advocate Zindela emphasised the brutality of the offences and noted that Nkosi showed no remorse, even telling his friends that he would “bury” Mazibuko when they tried to intervene.
In delivering judgment, Judge Lindiwe Vukeya remarked that the country “is swimming in a pool of gender-based violence” and that the accused had left deep emotional scars on his victims. Finding no compelling or substantial reasons to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentences, she sentenced him to: life imprisonment for murder, life imprisonment for each of two counts of rape, and ten years’ imprisonment for the remaining count of rape. Nkosi was also declared unfit to possess a firearm, and his application for leave to appeal was dismissed.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) remains unwavering in its commitment to fighting gender-based violence and femicide. By prioritising cases involving vulnerable groups, the NPA continues to strengthen the justice system’s resolve to ensure that sexual predators are removed from society and that victims receive justice. Ends.
Issued by:
Monica Nyuswa
NPA Regional Spokesperson
Director of Public Prosecutions: Mpumalanga
Tel: 013 045 0625 / 076 485 5446
Email: mnyuswa@npa.gov.za