JOHANNESBURG - The South African police on Tuesday welcomed multiple life sentences handed down to a serial rapist by the South Gauteng High Court.
Shadrack Xidada Chauke, 26, was on Tuesday sentenced to 25 life sentences for 23 counts of rape and two of attempted murder, plus an additional 254 years for multiple counts of attempted murder, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, robbery; and kidnapping.
Between 2012 and 2014, Chauke raped 23 women in the Tembisa, Ivory Park and Kempton areas. His modus operandi was to break into the victims' houses and rape them. He also accosted and attacked their partners and made them watch whilst he raped them. He was arrested in 2015.
Police spokesperson Captain Mavela Masondo said Chauke was spotted by a rape victim three months after the incident in December 2015.
Masondo said that police swiftly responded to the woman's call and arrested the suspect who was subsequently subjected to forensic tests as part of the thorough investigation, successfully linking him to a total of 17 other cases that had previously been reported to the police.
Gauteng Police Commissioner Major General Deliwe de Lange welcomed the sentence.
"This sentence today will go a long way in encouraging our members to continue to prioritise the investigation of cases against women, children and other vulnerable groups. For the police, arresting a suspect is a success. But a conviction in court and multiple life sentences brings even more content," De Lange said.