Durban - The man known as the oThongathi serial killer, Sphiwe Patrick Khoza, was convicted in the Durban High Court on Wednesday and was expected to be sentenced on Thursday.
Judge Piet Koen found that the State had proved Khoza’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and referred to cellphone records that had linked the serial killer to the scenes of the crimes.
Khoza had pleaded not guilty and elected not to testify in his defence.
The court found that he had lured three women, separately, to oThongathi through social media, killed them, raping one of them and then stealing their cellphones.
On May 31, 2013, the 36-year-old lured Cornelia Ndlovu to the Kwatiba area in oThongathi, robbed her of her cellphone, assaulted and raped her, strangled her with a belt and bound her hands and neck.
He then covered her body with branches and left.
It was discovered a few days later.
Cellphone records show that Ndlovu, a 44-year-old domestic worker from Hillcrest, and Khoza had more than five cellphone conversations that day, and following the “frenzy of calls”, all cellphone calls to her were not answered.
Judge Koen said cellphone towers showed that Ndlovu travelled from Durban to oThongathi and records also placed Khoza in the area where Ndlovu’s body was found.
Her cellphone was found in Khoza’s possession at the time of his arrest, and cellphone records show that he was using her cellphone after her death.
The judge said the only reasonable inference, from the cellphone records, was that Khoza had killed Ndlovu. The post-mortem report reflected that Ndlovu had been raped.
His second victim was Philisiwe Hlatswayo, a school teacher, whom he had lured to a sugar cane plantation in the Amazinyama area in oThongathi on June 7, 2013, where she was robbed of her cellphone and FNB bank card.
The State produced cellphone evidence again linking him to the scene of the crime and also showed Khoza used Hlatswayo’s cellphone after her death.
CCTV footage retrieved from the FNB branch in oThongathi clearly showed Khoza withdrawing money from the ATM. Bank records reflected that Hlatswayo’s bank card was still being used after her death.
Her hands and neck were also bound and her body was partially charred as Khoza had set it alight.
Her body was found the next day. At the time of his arrest, her cellphone was found in his possession.
Judge Koen said the use of the cellphone and bank card so soon after Hlatswayo died was inconsistent in his view that the violence in killing her was to get her cellphone and bank card.
His third victim, Bongiwe Majozi, of Northdale, Pietermaritzburg, was lured to Harry’s Farm in Hambanathi, oThongathi, on June 22, 2013.
The judge said the cause of her death could not be ascertained as Majozi’s body had been burnt. It was found the next day.
State witness, Velile Ngeleza, had testified to seeing Khoza in close proximity to the area where he had seen smoke and where Majozi’s body was subsequently found.
The judge said Ngeleza’s identification was honestly made and found him to be a reliable witness.
Here, too, cellphone records of both the deceased and Khoza showed communication between the two on the day of the murder and also reflected Khoza using the cellphone after Majozi’s death.
Her cellphone was also found in his possession when he was arrested in July 2013.
Khoza offered no explanation as to why he had the women’s cellphones and based on the evidence led, including cellphone evidence, Judge Koen said he was satisfied the State had proved Khoza’s guilt.
Daily News