A serial rapist, who instilled fear in the women of his community by turning it into his hunting ground, has been sentenced to the maximum penalty by the Western Cape High Court.

Lungile Buhlungu, 40, was sentenced to six terms of life imprisonment plus 50 years direct imprisonment for his reign of terror, which took place between 2014 and 2019. 

He was convicted on six counts of rape, two counts of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, four counts of kidnapping, a count of robbery with aggravating circumstances, and a count of illegal possession of a firearm.

The victims testified in camera to protect their identity and avoid secondary victimisation. 

The court heard on July 11, 2014, three of the women were raped in Delft in Cape Town by Buhlungu and an accomplice who were both armed. 

The duo forced the women into the bushes at gunpoint and took turns raping them. One of the victims attempted to fight back, but one of the men fired a shot in the air, which scared the woman. 

They released the women during the early hours of the following morning. The court heard how the incident ruined the victims’ lives. 

On October 5, 2017, the fourth woman was walking home when she was attacked and raped. She woke up in the hospital with a wound to the right side of her head and a red eye. 

She was found by a motorist lying naked at the local cemetery. 

The woman testified she knew Buhlungu as they lived within the same informal settlement in Delft. The court heard the woman moved out of the Western Cape to escape the traumatic environment. 

On May 12, 2018, two victims were taken by vehicle to the cemetery in Delft and raped at gunpoint. 

Buhlungu, a father of six, pleaded not guilty to all charges and claimed he was in Pollsmoor Prison in 2014 when the rapes took place.

He also denied raping the woman in 2017, and insisted the sex was consensual as it took place in his shack. He also claimed consent was given to him to have sex with the women in 2018. He further denied robbing the victims of their cell phones and told the court he’d want to meet the victims one day and tell them they were wrong as he had not raped them. 

Buhlungu was arrested 2019, and he was linked to the rapes through DNA. 

The court found that the State had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. 

The State called Lieutenant Colonel Elmarie Alta Myburgh, an expert on sexual offences investigations, sexual and violence risk assessment, forensic sex crimes investigations, and the assessment and management of stalking.

She testified that Buhlungu’s risk for future reoffending emanates from him being classified as a serial rapist, of threatening his victims with a firearm, of possessing an attitude that supports sexual violence, denial of the crimes, lacking remorse, personal history of violence, lacking insight, substance abuse, relationship problems and recidivism amongst serial sexual offenders.

Myburgh testified that serial rapists do not stop raping women by themselves, and the only way that they will be stopped is by arrest.

The State called for a life sentenced for each rape committed. 

Buhlungu was sentenced to life imprisonment for each rape count, five years for each count of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily hard, five years direct imprisonment for each count of kidnapping, 15 years direct imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances and five years direct imprisonment for illegal possession of a firearm. 

He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm. 

The court ordered the Department of Correctional Services to submit Buhlungu for psychological evaluation within six months of the order, and for him to attend any follow-up to determine whether he will benefit from any psychological intervention available to the department for his sexual behaviour, and if so, then to implement that intervention.

robin.francke@iol.co.za

IOL

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