Pretoria - An Onderstepoort man accused of raping and killing four women before dumping their bodies in a secluded spot, and setting the home of a man alight, killing him, was on Monday sent for 30 days observation to Weskoppies Hospital.
The well-dressed Andries Makgae, in a silky, bright purple shirt, appeared briefly in the High Court in Pretoria. The State applied for him to be sent for observation following concerns about his mental health.
Makgae is facing 12 charges, ranging from murder and rape to housebreaking and arson. He was not asked to plead on Monday and the trial was postponed to July 27.
According to the State, the 53-year-old man embarked on a 18-month reign of terror in the Onderstepoort area where he lived.
His victims were mostly elderly women whom he first raped and then killed. Some were strangled with their own underwear, while the cause of death of others could not be established. The bodies of all the victims were dumped after they were killed – some in dense bushes and others in a nearby dam.
His first alleged victim was 60-year-old Maria Pilore, whose body was found in dense bush near Bon Accord Dam.
She was last seen on January 1, 2012, visiting a tavern on a plot in Onderstepoort. Her partly decomposed body was discovered 17 days later. The cause of death could not be determined.
It is alleged that a few weeks later, Makgae killed 69-year-old Juliet Mokgatla. She was sent by her husband on February 4, 2012, to a nearby shop. She never returned and her body was also discovered a few days later in dense bush.
Mokgatla’s underwear was wrapped around her neck and had been used to strangle her. She was also raped before being killed.
The body of an unknown female, aged between 25 and 40, was discovered a few weeks later in Bon Accord dam. Police divers retrieved the body. She had also been raped, but the cause of death could not be determined.
The body of 29-year-old Praise Mpatsi was discovered in bush in Onderstepoort on January 21, 2013. Her underwear was also tied around her neck and she was raped before being strangled.
Her husband last saw her on January 3 when he left their home for work.
Another alleged victim was raped twice, but not killed, when Makgae allegedly broke into her home. She escaped after phoning her brother for help. Makgae was only arrested a few months later.
Sam Mafuleka died on July 14, 2013, when the accused allegedly set his house alight. He also lived in the Onderstepoort area.
Family members of the victims on Monday flocked to court. They were disappointed at the postponement, but vowed to be back in July.
Pretoria News