CATO MANOR. – A 46-year-old man linked by SAPS to 16 alleged rapes was arrested on Thursday, 17 September following an intensive investigation by members of the Serious and Commercial Crime Unit and the police's investigative psychology unit.
According to SAPS, the man allegedly targeted women in Cato Manor and surrounding areas since 2014. He is accused of raping 14 women between 2014 and 2025 in Cato Manor and two more women, one in Plessislaer and one in Taylor's Halt.
Police allege the suspect mostly struck at night and followed women of various ages from taverns to their homes. He allegedly raped them there and robbed them of their possessions.
In some cases, he allegedly broke into homes and threatened women living alone with a knife before raping them.
According to SAPS, victims could not identify him because he covered his face with a balaclava.
Despite the lack of direct identification, investigators were able to link the alleged modus operandi and connect the suspect to the cases through DNA evidence, police said.
The investigation was handled by members of the units mentioned above, which operate within SAPS's family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit.
The suspect is expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate's Court on Monday, 21 September. He faces multiple charges of rape, housebreaking and attempted murder.
The charges remain allegations and must be tested in court.
Source: SAPS
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
