In a period of 2 years, Moses Sithole murdered 38 women. He offered the women a job and then lured them into a field, where he raped and then strangled her. Ten of his victims were found in a mass grave. He was finally apprehended in 1995 and is now serving a life sentence in a prison in South Africa. At the time of his arrest, Sithole was found to have AIDS. Ironically, he is now receiving better medication in prison than when he was free.
Biography
Moses Sithole was born on November 17, 1964 in a poor neighborhood near Boksburg, South Africa. When he was five, his father died and his mother, unable to care for her five children, abandoned them at a police station. They were placed in an orphanage where Sithole ran away after 3 years because he was mistreated there. He went to live with his older brother. He then went to work in the gold mines of Johannesburg.
Sithole was described as handsome and charming and often had girlfriends, although the relationships were often short. In his early twenties he started raping women. In 1989 he was convicted of rape and spent several years in prison. After his early release, he started raping and killing women in 1994. He claimed he chose women who looked like the woman who landed him in prison.
Crimes
It is not known exactly when Sithole started raping women. The first documented victim was raped in 1987. He then raped 3 more women, 1 of whom reported him to the police. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison in 1989, but he was released in early 1993 for good behavior.
Between January and April 1995, four women were found near Atteridgeville, all raped and strangled. The body of her 2-year-old son was also found in a woman’s home. It could not be determined what caused his death, but it was quite possible that he died of hunger or thirst after his mother was murdered.
In July 1995, a witness saw a man and woman walking through a field. A little later the man came back alone. The witness found this suspicious and when he went to look he found the woman. She had been strangled and already dead. Unfortunately, the witness was too far away to identify the man.
By the time September arrived, 19 bodies had been found, but the worst was yet to come. On September 16, 1995, a mass grave was found near Boksburg. There were the bodies of 10 women in various stages of decomposition. Three of these have never been identified.
Examination of all the bodies found so far showed that the killer improved his technique. The first victims he had strangled with his hands and were not tied up. Later victims had their hands tied in front of their bodies and were strangled with their own underwear or pantyhose. The last victims had their hands tied behind their backs and additional aids, such as a stick, were used to provide extra force during the strangulation.
Research showed that most victims had an appointment with a man who offered them a job at the time of their disappearance. One victim, Amelia Rapodile, had an appointment with Moses Sithole on September 7. They also found an application form offering Amelia a job. Another victim had a similar link to Sithole. However, police were unable to locate him and another victim was found in October. In the meantime, there was a hunt for Sithole, partly due to the media. He tried to seek support from his family, but they contacted the police. After a fierce battle with the police, they managed to arrest him on October 18, 1995. Sithole was shot in the leg and abdomen, but survived the shooting. On November 3, 1995, he was transferred to Boksburg prison awaiting trial.
Trial
What made the investigation difficult was that Sithole’s victims were remarkably similar to victims of another serial killer, David Selepe. Selepe had been shot dead by the police and it could never be determined how many women he had actually murdered. He did say he had two accomplices. Sithole has always denied that he collaborated with others and says he committed his murders alone. In addition to the 34 victims found in 1995, he was also charged with 4 murders committed in 1994. These murders were first attributed to David Selepe, but after further investigation it turned out that Sithole was the perpetrator. He was also charged with 40 rapes and 6 robberies.
The trial began on October 21, 1996. The trial lasted more than a year, but on December 4, 1997, Sithole was found guilty of all charges. He received 50 years for each murder, 12 years for each rape and 5 years for each robbery. In total, this amounted to 2,410 years in prison.
List of victims
|
# |
Name |
Age |
Disappeared |
|
1 |
Maria Monene Monama |
18 |
July 16, 1994 |
|
2 |
Amanda Kebofile Thethe |
26 |
August 6, 1994 |
|
3 |
Joyce Thakane Mashabela |
32 |
August 19, 1994 |
|
4 |
Refilwe Amanda Mokale |
24 |
September 7, 1994 |
|
5 |
Rose Rebothile Mogotsi |
22 |
September 18, 1994 |
|
6 |
Unknown woman |
unknown |
December 1994, found 3 January 1995 |
|
7 |
Beauty is the Source |
27 |
January 1995 |
|
8 |
Sara Matlakala Mokono |
25 |
March 3, 1995 |
|
9 |
I was born to Diko |
onbekend |
April 7, 1995 |
|
10 |
Letta Nomthandazo Ndlangamandla |
25 |
April 12, 1995 |
|
11 |
Sibusiso Nomthandazo Ndlangamandla |
onbekend |
April 20, 1995 |
|
12 |
Esther Moshibudi Mainetja |
29 |
May 12, 1995 |
|
13 |
Granny Ramela – The Best Of Ramela |
21 |
23 May |
|
14 |
Elizabeth Granny Deception |
19 |
25 May |
|
15 |
Mildred I’m Not Afraid |
28 |
30 May |
|
16 |
Francina Nomsa Sithebe |
25 |
13 June |
|
17 |
Ernestina Mohadi – The Best Of Ernestina Mohadi |
30 |
22 June |
|
18 |
Elsie Court News |
25 |
14 July |
|
19 |
Josephine Mantsali – I’m Not Afraid (Official Music Video) |
25 |
17 July |
|
20 |
Oscarina Vuyokazi Jakalase |
30 |
August 8, 1995 |
|
21 |
Unknown woman |
unknown |
found August 9, 1995 |
|
22 |
Makoba Tryphina Mogotsi |
26 |
August 15, 1995 |
|
23 |
Unknown woman |
unknown |
found August 28, 1995 |
|
24 |
Unknown woman |
unknown |
found August 30, 1995 |
|
25 |
Nelisiwe Nontobeko Zulu |
26 |
September 4, 1995 |
|
26 |
Amelia Dikamakatso Rapodile |
43 |
September 7, 1995 |
|
27 |
Unknown woman |
unknown |
found September 12, 1995 |
|
28 |
Monica Gabisile Vilakazi |
31 |
September 12, 1995 |
|
29 |
Hazel Nozipho Madikizela |
21 |
found September 17, 1995 |
|
30 |
Tsidi Malekoae Matela |
45 |
found September 17, 1995 |
|
31 |
Unknown woman |
Unknown |
found September 17, 1995 |
|
32 |
Unknown woman |
Unknown |
found September 17, 1995 |
|
33 |
Unknown woman |
Unknown |
found September 17, 1995 |
|
34 |
Agnes Sibongile Mbuli |
20 |
September 24, 1995 |
|
35 |
Unknown woman |
Unknown |
found October 9, 1995 |
|
36 |
Beauty Ntombi Ndabeni |
Unknown |
October 10, 1995 |
|
37 |
Unknown woman |
Unknown |
found October 14, 1995 |
|
38 |
Unknown woman |
Unknown |
November 6, 1995 |
read more
- The Green River Killer: Gary Ridgway
- The Checkerboard Killer: Alexander Pichushkin
- The Butcher of Rostov: Andrei Chikatilo
- The Beast of Ukraine: Anatoly Onoprienko
- John Wayne Gacy: The ,Killer Clown,