[Did you know that South Africa was the first country to identify and study serial killers? Why? … because we have so many!! A friend of mine’s father was a pathologist, and he told me this. I think all our serial killers so far, have been non-white. Here is another one – this sort of thing doesn’t even make headline news here… ho hum… Jan]

Not only did serial killer Asanda Baninzi murder 14 people – he also slaughtered a 10-year-old girl, her teenage sister and their parents.

The shocking revelation emerged in the Cape High Court on Tuesday, when the 21-year-old, described as one of Cape Town’s most prolific serial killers, was convicted of 49 of the 51 charges to which he pleaded guilty on Monday.

The charges include 15 of kidnapping, 12 of robbery with aggravating circumstances, one of indecent assault, five of rape, three of attempted murder and one of housebreaking.

Mr Justice Abe Motala found Baninzi not guilty of the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, after it emerged that the gun used in the killings belonged to former gang boss Mthuthuzeli Nombewu, alias “Wowo” or “Wox”.

‘He is, in many ways, just a lonely and frightened young man’

In mitigation of Baninzi’s sentence his advocate, Keith Hutton, begged the court to recommend that his client’s sentence be coupled with counselling. “He is, in many ways, just a lonely and frightened young man who got stuck on a path that was very difficult to get off.”

Baninzi’s murder tally was bought to 18 after investigating officer Detective Inspector Jonathan Morris testified that Baninzi had been convicted of the murder of Felicity Adams, 39, her husband, Marius, 34, and their daughters, Shaune, 10, and Alexis, 16, in the High Court last December.

Baninzi and fellow “Wox gang” member Shadrack Nontshongwana were sentenced to four terms of life imprisonment for the slayings of the Delft South family, who apparently angered them when a family member contacted police about their suspicious behaviour.

Only a few days before they were murdered in August 2001, the Adams family were held at gunpoint by the Wox gang, it emerged in evidence before the court. Mrs Adams had pleaded with them to take anything they wanted, but spare her family’s lives. The gang left with nothing, but returned to shoot each family member in the back of the head.

Baninzi and Nontshongwana were sentenced to an additional 67 years for several charges of aggravated robbery, housebreaking and kidnapping.

‘It would be easy for us to turn our back on him’
In his plea explanation, currently before the court, Baninzi said he had become involved with a group of “bad people” – including notorious Gugulethu gangster Nombewu – during the period of the crimes.

Nombewu, who Baninzi claimed was the “triggerman” in most of the murders, committed suicide in September 2001 – after soldiers, police and angry residents surrounded his Gugulethu shack.

Baninzi claimed that his and Nombewu’s crime rampage was motivated by a desire to “get money in order to live, and to buy Mandrax and other drugs”.

As the two were unemployed, they decided to hijack motor vehicles “so that we could kidnap the occupants and rob them of their money and… strip the motor vehicles to sell parts”.

Hutton said Baninzi had shown remorse by recognising that “he made bad choices”.

“Essentially, (Baninzi) is a young man who threw his life away in the space of three months.

“It would be easy for us to turn our back on him but we have been given a chance to show mercy by seeing what we can do to help him in prison.”

When asked by the judge why Baninzi had raped his victims if all he wanted was money, Hutton said his client had been on an “escalating treadmill”.

Baninzi’s victims are Moegamat Brand, Ryan Masetu, Mqibalo Mnisi, Nceba Faltein, Siseko Nxu, Richard Dantjies, Faith Qwelane, Ayanda Bokweni, Linda Mbabisa, Lent Ndzoto, Nolwandle Nkutshu, Vuyo Tati, Nomvuyo Mtiki and Sydney Molefe. Most of the victims were shot execution-style in the back of the head and Qwelane and Mbambisa were raped before they were killed.

One of the survivors of the attacks, Ntombhekya Matomana, was blinded by a gunshot to her head and died a year later.

This article was originally published on page 3 of The Cape Argus on May 05, 2004

Source: Independent Online (IOL)
URL: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=13&ar…/p>