Cape Town - A convicted serial rapist and paedophile could have been back on the streets after his conviction of assault were it not for the DNA Act of 2014.
Sikhangele Mki was convicted of assault in 2014 while living in Delft and stayed away from crime for six months before attacking his next victim after moving to Khayelitsha, the Western Cape High Court heard on Tuesday.
But because the DNA Act compels convicts to be registered on the DNA database, Mki could be linked to a plethora of crimes committed between 2011 and 2015.
These included 30 counts of rape, his victims ranging from girls as young as 11 to women of 28. Nine of the girls he raped were under the age of 16.
Mki, 34, pleaded guilty to 27 counts of kidnapping, 30 counts of rape, 12 counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, six counts of attempted robbery with aggravating circumstances, three counts of attempted robbery, two counts of robbery and four counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
State prosecutor Advocate Nokuzola Mbewana-Mthelelo said Mki preyed on defenceless, unarmed young women and girls.
As a result of Mki's crimes, five men were killed in mob justice attacks after they were wrongfully identified by communities. No arrests had been made in connection to their murders.
"The accused doesn’t deserve anything less than life sentence.The sentence must act as a general deterrent, deterring other members of the community from committing such acts. It must act as a specific deterrent, by deterring the accused from being tempted to act in the manner he acted," Mbewana-Mthelelo said.
Submitting 20 victim impact statements, Mbewana-Mthelelo said Mki’s victims were emotionally and psychologically severely affected by the incidents.
One of the victims said she stayed indoors and developed a fear of men.
Another victim said she experienced difficulty being intimate with her husband after the incident. She left her home to rent elsewhere since the ordeal began at her house.
Another victim said she had stopped going to church as the incident occurred while she was returning from church.
"The accused cumulatively faces 15 life terms of imprisonment. The accused further faces a cumulative term of 110 years' imprisonment along with discretionary sentences on the charges, which do not attract a minimum sentence," Mbewana-Mthelelo said.
Probation officer Astrid Klassen, who interviewed Mki and members of his family, said there was no reasonable explanation behind Mki’s acts.
Mki has two children, a boy and girl aged 13 and five. He worked as a security guard and had acquired his own home. Despite coming from a home where his parents were divorced, Klassen said he had a stable upbringing.
"He couldn’t provide reasons for these offences, he had no explanation except that some of the offences took place while he was under the influence of alcohol. He was not exposed to trauma and abuse," she said.
Defence advocate Bruce Morrison said although alcohol consumption was mentioned it was never made an argument.
"He has a weakness towards young girls," Morrison told the court.
"He's fairly young and seems as if he was a pretty stable. One is taken aback by the counts. His family has express shock and say it was out of his character.
"His mother said he had a good bond with his child and would feed and bathe his daughter. They had no reason not to trust him," he said.
Mki apologised for what he had done.
"I don't want to waste the court's time, so I pleaded guilty. I am sorry for all that I did," Mki told the court.
Sentencing will take place on September 14.