The police in Kwakwatsi in the Free State (FS) have managed to unmask the masked rapist who terrorised the community for 18-years. The terror of the masked rapist began in September 2008 when a 15-year old mentally impaired girl reported to her grandmother that while she was walking around in Kwakwatsi ,Koppies town, in the Free State an unknown masked male grabbed her and took her to an open field where he raped her.
The granny reported the incident to Koppies police and a case of rape was opened for further investigation. The second incident happened in September 2012 when a 13-year-old girl, who was at home taking a nap, was allegedly raped by an unknown masked man who broke into her home. The victim reported the matter to her sister and a case of rape and house breaking was opened for further investigation but no one was arrested. The third incident happened in July 2013, when a 61-year-old victim was asleep at her place heard someone breaking into her house and went to investigate. Theold woman found an unknown male wearing a mask and a scuffle ensued but the suspect overpowered and raped her and then fled the scene. The masked suspect was unknown and cases of house breaking and rape were opened. In the same year in 2013 in December, a 46-year-old woman arrived at home in Kwakwatsi and she was attacked by an unknown male wearing a mask. Free State Saps spokesperson Sergeant Mahlomola Kareli the suspect pushed her into the house and repeatedly raped her overnight at knife point.
Kareli said that Teboho Isaac Mnculwane was traced and arrested by Tumahole Family violence, child protection and sexual offenses unit after the members received information on his whereabouts. "After the arrest of every suspect for cases falling under schedule 8 (Murder, attempted murder, rape, attempted rape, statutory rape, kidnapping, robbery, house breaking) buccal swabs, finger prints and an image of the suspect are taken to a lab to ascertain the identity of the suspect and for analysis to also ensure that the suspect is not a wanted person in any other case.
"Teboho Isaac Mnculwane, was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment back in 2016 for the rape of 46-year-old victim. All these Koppies cases were placed as undetected pending DNA results as samples or evidence were collected by the Local Criminal Record Centre members who attended the scenes. The analysis of the results and matching of found evidence is done by the Forensic Science Laboratory specialists at a Lab in Pretoria," said Kareli. In 2017 after analysis was conducted and reports made ready, all three rape cases were reopened after a positive DNA confirmation led the investigator Warrant Officer Sophie Kgayane to Groenpunt Correctional Centre where Mnculwane aged (38) was serving 18 years for rape. Serial Rapist Electronic Crime Investigation took the cases for confirmation, and all three cases were placed back in the court roll, and the trial started. Detective Warrant Officer Sophie Kgayane presented the case to Mnculwane. Mnculwane was found guilty on 18 April 2024 on three rape charges and was sentenced to two life imprisonment for the first two rape cases. He was further sentenced to 15-years imprisonment for the third rape and six years for house breaking.
