- Moses Sithole (born 17 November 1964) also known as the “ABC Killer” or “The South African Strangler” has come to be widely known as South Africa’s most evil serial killer.
- A wild fig from the well-watered forests of southeastern and tropical Africa, with glossy, dark green foliage and a grey trunk that is sculpted and shaped by strangler roots; a handsome garden tree, container plant or bonsai.
| Born | 17 November 1964 (age 56) Vosloorus, South Africa |
|---|---|
| Other names | The ABC Killer The South African Strangler The Gauteng Killer |
| Conviction(s) | Murder Rape Robbery |
| Criminal penalty | 2,410 years' imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Victims | 38 confirmed, 76 possible |
| 1994–1995 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| State(s) | Atteridgeville, Gauteng, Johannesburg |
Date apprehended | 6 November 1995 |
| Imprisoned at | C-Max |
Moses Sithole (born 17 November 1964) is a South Africanserial killer and rapist who committed the ABC Murders,[1] so named because they began in Atteridgeville, continued in Boksburg and finished in Cleveland, a suburb of Johannesburg. Sithole murdered at least 38 people between 16 July 1994 and 6 November 1995.
Early life[edit]
COMMON NAME: Dwarf African Strangler Fig. SPECIFICS: 8″ Pot. UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS:.Multiple trunks. FIG or FICUS is a very hardy tree, that is particularly great for banyan-style bonsai. It can be grown indoors and outdoors with beautiful pads and great aerial roots. Produces ornamental figs. Ficus likes full/ partial sun and moderate water and fertilizer.
Moses Sithole was born on 17 November 1964 in Vosloorus, a township near Boksburg, Transvaal Province (now known as Gauteng). When he was five years old, his father died, and his mother abandoned the family.[2] Sithole and his siblings spent the next three years in an orphanage, where he later said they were mistreated. By his own account, Sithole was arrested for rape in his teens and spent seven years in prison.[2] He later blamed his imprisonment for turning him into a murderer. He explained his crimes by saying that the women he murdered all reminded him of the women who had falsely accused him of rape years before.[2]
Murders[edit]
Sithole appeared to be a mild-mannered individual to those around him. At the time of his crimes, he was managing a shell organization, Youth Against Human Abuse, ostensibly devoted to the eradication of child abuse. After committing murders in Atteridgeville, near Pretoria, Sithole moved his focus to Boksburg and eventually to Cleveland. By 1995, he had claimed over thirty victims, sparking nationwide panic. In some cases, he would later phone the victims' families for no other apparent reason than to taunt them.[3] At one point, PresidentNelson Mandela visited Boksburg in person to appeal for public assistance in apprehending the killer.[2]
Methods[edit]
Sithole targeted black women between the ages of 18 and 45 years old. Most of his victims were being interviewed for positions with Sithole's ersatz charity. Sithole would take them to remote fields, where he would beat, rape, and murder them. They were generally strangled with their own underwear. He once inflicted a head wound on the two-year-old son of one of his victims and left him to die from exposure.[2]
Capture[edit]
In August 1995, Sithole was identified as having been seen with one of the victims, but he disappeared shortly after SAPS investigators learned details of his previous rape conviction. In October 1995, Sithole contacted South African journalist Tamsen de Beer and identified himself as the wanted murderer.[2] During a phone conversation with de Beer, he indicated that the killings were carried out in revenge for his unjust imprisonment and claimed 76 victims, twice as many as those reported. Finally, in order to prove his identity, Sithole gave directions to where one of the bodies had been left.[4] Local authorities subsequently cornered Sithole in Johannesburg, shooting the suspect when he attacked a constable with a hatchet. Sithole was driven to the hospital, where he was found to be HIV positive.[2][5]
Trial and imprisonment[edit]
On 5 December 1997, Sithole was sentenced to fifty years' imprisonment for each of the thirty-eight murders, twelve years' imprisonment for each of the forty rapes, and five years' imprisonment for each of six robberies. Since his sentences run consecutively, the total effective sentence is one of 2,410 years. Justice David Carstairs ordered that Sithole would be required to serve at least 930 years before being eligible for parole. The judge also told Sithole that had capital punishmentnot been abolished, he would have been sentenced to death. Sithole was incarcerated in C-Max, the maximum security section of Pretoria Central Prison. He is currently incarcerated in Mangaung Correctional Centre in Bloemfontein.[citation needed]
Victims[edit]
Full list of Sithole's victims[6]
| Number | Name | Sex | Age | Date of Murder | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marina Monene Monama | F | 18 | 16 July 1994 | |
| 2 | Amanda Kebofile Thethe | F | 26 | 6 August 1994 | In a relationship with Sithole at the time |
| 3 | Joyce Thakane Mashabela | F | 32 | 19 August 1994 | |
| 4 | Refilwe Amanda Mokale | F | 24 | 7 September 1994 | |
| 5 | Rose Rebothile Mogotsi | F | 22 | 18 September 1994 | |
| 6 | Unidentified victim | F | Unknown | December 1994 | Discovered on 3 January 1995 |
| 7 | Beauty Nuku Soko | F | 27 | January 1995 | |
| 8 | Sara Matlakala Mokono | F | 25 | 3 March 1995 | |
| 9 | Nikiwe Diko | F | 24 | 7 April 1995 | Was raped with a stick; discovered 24 June |
| 10 | Letta Nomthandazo Ndlangamandla | F | 25 | 12 April 1995 | |
| 11 | Sibusiso Nomthandazo Ndlangamandla | M | 2 | 20 April 1995 | Letta's son; incidental; injured in the head and died from exposure |
| 12 | Esther Moshibudi Mainetja | F | 29 | 12 May 1995 | |
| 13 | Granny Dimakatso Ramela | F | 21 | 23 May 1995 | Discovered 18 July |
| 14 | Elizabeth Granny Mathetsa | F | 19 | 25 May 1995 | Discovered 16 June |
| 15 | Mildred Ntiya Lepule | F | 28 | 30 May 1995 | Discovered 26 July |
| 16 | Francina Nomsa Sithebe | F | 25 | 13 June 1995 | |
| 17 | Ernestina Mohadi Mosebo | F | 30 | 22 June 1995 | |
| 18 | Elsie Khoti Masango | F | 25 | 14 July 1995 | Discovered 8 August |
| 19 | Josephine Mantsali Mlangeni | F | 25 | 17 July 1995 | |
| 20 | Oscarina Vuyokazi Jakalase | F | 30 | 8 August 1995 | Discovered 23 August |
| 21 | Unidentified victim | F | Unknown | 9 August 1995 | |
| 22 | Makoba Tryphina Mogotsi | F | 26 | 15 August 1995 | Discovered 17 September |
| 23 | Unidentified victim | F | Unknown | 28 August 1995 | |
| 24 | Unidentified victim | F | Unknown | 30 August 1995 | |
| 25 | Nelisiwe Nontobeko Zulu | F | 26 | 4 September 1995 | Discovered 17 September |
| 26 | Amelia Dikamakatso Rapodile | F | 43 | 7 September 1995 | |
| 27 | Unidentified victim | F | Unknown | 12 September 1995 | |
| 28 | Monica Gabisile Vilakazi | F | 31 | 12 September 1995 | Discovered 17 September |
| 29 | Hazel Nozipho Madikizela | F | 21 | 17 September 1995 | |
| 30 | Tsidi Malekoae Matela | F | 45 | 17 September 1995 | |
| 31 | Unidentified victim | F | Unknown | 17 September 1995 | |
| 32 | Unidentified victim | F | Unknown | 17 September 1995 | |
| 33 | Unidentified victim | F | Unknown | 17 September 1995 | |
| 34 | Agnes Sibongile Mbuli | F | 20 | 17 September 1995 | Discovered 3 October |
| 35 | Unidentified victim | F | Unknown | 9 October 1995 | |
| 36 | Beauty Ntombi Ndabeni | F | Unknown | 10 October 1995 | Discovered 11 October |
| 37 | Unidentified victim | F | Unknown | 14 October 1995 | |
| 38 | Unidentified victim | F | Unknown | 6 November 1995 |
See also[edit]
- Elias Xitavhudzi (serial killer in Atteridgeville)
References[edit]
- ^Kendal, Rebekah (3 May 2007). 'Worst criminals of SA'. iafrica.com. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
- ^ abcdefgGreig, Charlotte (2005). Evil Serial Killers: In the Minds of Monsters. New York: Barnes & Noble. p. 176. ISBN0760775664.
- ^A&E Biography - Moses Sithole
- ^Greig, Charlotte (2005). Evil Serial Killers: In the Minds of Monsters. New York: Barnes & Noble. p. 177. ISBN0760775664.
- ^'South African Strangler: Moses Sithole'. Notorious. The Biography Channel.
- ^'Moses Sithole: South Africa's Worst Serial Killer'. Crime + Investigation. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- Newton, Michael (2000). The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. New York: Checkmark Books. p. 207. ISBN0-8160-3979-8.
- Ströhm, Martin. 'Graveyard'. Crime Library. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
- von Nekerk, Philip (October 2000). 'A Time to Kill'. Maxim. maximonline.com. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007.
External links[edit]
- Moses Sithole: The South African Strangler on IMDb (Documentary)
When you think of serial killers you think of the United States. Not only was the term coined in the US but they have produced some of the worst and the most prolific.
US killers have included everyone from H. H. Holmes to Jeffrey Dahmer and clown serial killer John Wayne Gacy. But while there are many American serial killers, there are other countries that come very close to matching them and some that even seem to pass them. One such country is South Africa and in this guide we will look at the worst South African serial killers of them all.
Moses Sithole
South Africa Strange Facts
This South African serial killer earned himself a place on our list of the Worst Serial Killers. Callous, cold and evil, Sithole is known to have killed 38 women but is suspected of killing many more. He was active between 1994 and 1995, a very short time considering how many people fell victim to his attacks.
Born in 1964, Sithole killed in Atteridgeville, Boksburg and Cleveland, all suburbs of Johannesburg, He earned the nickname “The ABC Killer” and after his arrest he claimed to have killed over 70 victims, not all of which could be confirmed. As well as multiple murders, Sithole was also a serial rapist and had been arrested and sentenced for rape prior to beginning his murder spree.
Capital punishment had been abolished by the time he was arrested and sent to prison, leading the judge to comment that if that had not been the case, he would have sent him to his death. Instead he remains incarcerated and will never see the light of day.
Norman Afzal Simons
From the years 1986 to 1994, the “Station Strangler” as he was known, raped and killed a number of young children. He was initially arrested and charged with the murder of a single boy, who was 10 at the time of his death. Many more victims are suspected, but it is that single death that he was charged for and remains incarcerated for.
He is currently serving a life sentence, 25 years of which is for murder with 10 years being for rape, both for the same victim.
Norman Simons is said to have been a very bright child. He was a gifted musician and he spoke 7 languages, skills that led him into the teaching profession where he allowed his sadistic urges to get the better of him.
Sipho Thwala
This South African serial killer earned himself the name the “Phoenix Strangler”, owing to the name of the town in which he committed 10 rapes and 16 murders. All of his victims were female and all of the crimes took place between 1996 and 1997, giving it the feel of a frenzied spree as opposed to a succession of murders.
The only reason his murderous spree stopped was because police were able to match his DNA and link him to the crimes. He had been arrested three years prior to his first murder, when he had his DNA taken during a rape case that he was later acquitted of. He may have gotten away with a crime back then, but it was thanks to this arrest that police were able to put a stop to his spree and to save the lives of potentially dozens of women.
Stewart Wilken
Wilken was a South African that was active in the Port Elizabeth region of the country. He took the lives of at least 10 victims between the years of 1990 and 1997, raping and abusing his victims prior to murdering them.
Wilkes also killed his own daughter. He claimed that she had been sexually assaulted by her step father and that he was merely releasing her tortured soul to God. He also killed one of his own step-sons and raped the body as it was decomposing.
Wilkes is said to have indulged in cannibalism as well.
Jack Mogale
South African Strangler Trees
If there is any one decade where serial killers flourished in South Africa it was the 1990s. This was obviously a troubled time for the country and one in which it experienced a lot of growth, but it was also one where many serial killers strolled the streets and took the lives hundreds of innocent women, children and men.
Jack Mogale came a little later in 2008 and 2009, but his crimes were just as disturbing and when the stories broke South Africans recalled all of those horrible crime sprees that happened a decade previous.
His crimes have some similarities to those other sprees, including the fact that they all took place within a short time. He killed 16 people between 2008 and 2009, adding rape and kidnapping to brutal murder and announcing to some of his victims that he was a prophet.
Other Serial Killers from South Africa
As mentioned at the outset of this guide, there are a huge number of South African serial killers. It’s actually frightening to think how many this country has produced. What’s more, many of them have been after 1950 and a huge number have been white, despite this being a predominantly black country (see Black vs White and Murder Rates by Race to see how these differences match up elsewhere).
It is a troubled country, a poor country and a big country, all of which are major factors in producing these South African serial killers:
Sibusiso Duma
Born in May 1984 (a popular month for serial killer birthdays), Duma worked as a taxi driver and he used his job and his car to pickup his victims and even to kill them. In total he killed 7 people in the space of just 6 weeks beginning in the beginning of September 2007. When he was sentenced to multiple life terms the judge declared that he should never enter society ever again, such was his callousness.
Jimmy Maketta
Like Duma, Maketta was a psychopath that killed in the first decade of the 21st century. Also like Duma, he was active over a short period of time, killing over the space of 6 months beginning in April 2005. He was charged with 19 counts of rape and 16 counts of murder in 2007.
Samuel Sidyno
This South African serial killer went by the name the “Capital Hill Serial Killer” and was convicted of killing 7 people in Pretoria between 1998 and 1999. Described as a sadist and psychopath, Sidyno was sentenced to multiple life terms.
Christopher Mhlengwa Zikode
Another rapist serial killer from South Africa, Zikode, like many of the ones mentioned already, was active during the mid 1990s. He is linked to as many as 18 deaths but was charged with 8, as well as multiple cases of rape, indecent assault and attempted murder.