Julius Mndawe: Mpumalanga Serial Killer Gets 5 Life Sentences, Extra 25 Years, SA Says It's Not Enough

• Julius Mndawe, a 28-year-old serial killer, has been given a hefty sentence for killing five women in the Mpumalanga province
• Mndawe was apprehended by the police after one of the victims was reported missing to the police and her cellphone pinged at his home upon investigations
• Some South Africans do not think Mndawe's sentence is harsh enough in relation to the pain he caused the families of the victims

NELSPRUIT - 28-year-old Julius Mndawe has been given five life sentences for the murders of five women on Thursday, 10 February by the Mpumalanga High Court. He was also given an additional 25-year sentence for defeating the ends of justice.

Mndawe, who was dubbed the Masoyi serial killer, murdered the woman between 2018 and 2019 in the Numbi Village near Hazyview in the Mpumalanga province.

Read also

South Africans say a Gauteng man is lucky to be alive, rescued from stormwater drain after 18 hours

According to SABC News, four of the women were found buried in shallow graves at Mndawe's home while the other woman was found in his bathtub.

The families and the National Prosecuting Authority welcomed the sentence that was handed down to Mndawe despite the fact that two of the families have still not been able to bury their loved ones.

"This sentence befits the crime committed by the accused, especially when young people were killed in such a brutal manner like this," says Monica Nyuwsa, NPA spokesperson.

According to IOL, Mndawe's victims were aged between 15 and 24 years old. The youngest victim's name was Banele Khoza and two of his victims, Noxolo Mdluli and Felicia Mdlovu, were 17 years old. Nomthandazo Mdluli was 19 years old and the oldest victim was Tokie Tlaka.

Read also

Exclusive: Man gets 15 years in jail for killing lover, leaving child, 6, with body

South African Police Service spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala describes Mndawe as a cruel person who preyed on young women and lured them to his house. Mohlala also stated that Mndawe burnt his victims' bodies after killing them.

How Mndawe was caught

Mndawe was caught and arrested by the police after one of the victims was reported missing. The police were able to trace her phone to his house.

When he was questioned by the police about the whereabouts of the missing victim he confessed to killing her. The police then searched his home and found more buried bodies. He confessed to killing the other victims too.

South Africans believe 5 life sentences are not enough

@Leo037gp said:

"Waste of sentences again. Chop his hands off. He can't have rights while he intentionally not once but 5 times ended other people's lives. Now we are forced to feed him for those years!"

Read also

“What a horror, yho”: South Africans question who could have murdered North West grandmother and drowned her grandchild

@uLungii said:

"Life in prison is now 12.5 years if the Donovan case is anything to go by. So this means nothing."

Daniel Smit admits Klawer case was not his first murder, abandons bail bid

Briefly News previously reported that Daniel Smit, a Klawer farmer who allegedly murdered a 13-year-old boy who stole mangoes from his property, has dropped his bail application. He appeared in the Klawer Magistrate's Court today (7 February).

A group of local residents gathered outside the court to protest against Smit allegedly murdering the boy. Police tried to disperse the angry protestors using stun grenades.

During his court appearance, Smit's lawyer told the judge that Smit had previously murdered four people in Sea Point. The lawyer added that Smit had been involved with the occult since he was 13 and the motive was Satanic.

Source: Briefly News