By Akani Nkuna
A 46-year-old man linked to 16 alleged sexual attacks appeared in a Durban court on Monday as KwaZulu-Natal authorities raised concern over multiple suspected serial rape cases in the province.
The man appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court in connection with 16 cases of sexual assault, including rape, most of them linked to Cato Manor in Durban.
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The case was postponed to 28 September.
Police said the suspect was linked to 14 alleged rapes in Cato Manor between 2014 and 2025, as well as attacks on two women in Plessislaer and Taylor’s Halt in the uMgungundlovu District.
Investigators allege he targeted women mainly at night, at times following them home from taverns before attacking them.
In other cases, police allege he broke into homes occupied by women living alone and threatened them with a knife.
Police said some of the women were unable to identify their attacker because he allegedly concealed his face with pantyhose. Investigators later identified similarities between the cases and linked the suspect to the attacks through DNA evidence.
He was arrested on Thursday following an investigation involving specialised police units and faces charges including rape, housebreaking and attempted murder.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli, speaking outside the court after Monday’s appearance, called for greater cooperation between civil society, law enforcement and government in tackling gender-based violence and femicide.
“Our women are under siege, we have to up the ante and do more to protect all females from such acts of abuse and victimisation,” Ntuli said.
“We call upon all sectors of society, law enforcement and government entities to build a stronger United front to end the scourge of GBV&F in our Province.”
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Ntuli said he had also received reports of multiple gender-based violence and femicide cases in Phongolo and Hibberdene and called for awareness campaigns to be intensified across the province.
The court appearance came a day after police arrested another suspected serial rapist in an unrelated investigation involving 14 women in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
Detectives from the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit arrested the 36-year-old man in Ncotshane, Nongoma, on Sunday after investigations into cases dating back to January 2010.
Police said he was first arrested after allegedly raping a woman in Mahlabathini in 2010. He was released on bail but later failed to return to court, resulting in a warrant being issued for his arrest.
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KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said investigators subsequently linked him to seven rape cases in Pongola, four in Primrose and Germiston in Gauteng, and one each in Paulpietersburg and Magudu.
“His modus operandi was to break either a window or a door of the houses of women who were staying alone and threatening them with a knife. During his arrest in 2010, police did due diligence in collecting evidence and investigations linked him to all the cases through DNA analysis,” he said.
The 36-year-old was expected to appear in the Mahlabathini Magistrate’s Court on Monday in connection with his failure to appear in court in 2010. Police said he would thereafter be formally charged in the other 13 rape cases.
Ntuli said the province faced a broader problem involving suspected serial rapists and urged victims to report attacks to police as soon as possible.
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