Convicted multiple murderer Wellington Kachidza will never return to Zimbabwe alive after the Pretoria High Court sentenced him to six life terms and 192 years in prison.
The 28-year-old illegal immigrant from Zimbabwe pleaded guilty to six murders, three rapes, eight kidnappings, eight cases of extortion, and eight counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Kachidza was convicted of 34 counts of serious crime.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on Thursday said it “welcomes the sentencing”.
Lumka Mahanjana, NPA North Gauteng Regional Spokesperson: DPP Pretoria, said the crimes were committed around Pretoria between January 2018 and December 2019.
Kachidza used the same method to lure male victims. He asked potential victims for their assistance with driving before he kidnapped them and demand a ransom from their families.
“After he was paid, he would then kill them,” said Mahanjana.
“The reported cause of death based on post-mortem for the victims was head injury or trauma to the head.
“With the three female victims, he pretended to be offering employment … he would lure them to a close-by bush or veld, rape them and rob them of their belongings and walk away.”
Kachidza was arrested on 15 January 2020 after an intelligence-driven operation. DNA evidence positively linked him to the rapes.
The accused has been in custody since his arrest.
In Court, Prosecutor Advocate Pieter Coetzer said it was evident that Kachidza was motivated by greed when he committed the offences.
The brutality of the murders was also considered in court as an aggravating factor.
In addition, Kachidza’s actions had a severe impact on the lives of the rape survivors and families of the deceased.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Adv. Sibongile Mzinyathi said the NPA was committed to ensuring that “people who commit such gruesome crimes are prosecuted”.
Mzinyathi thanked the investigating team of the South African Police Service for the arrest and conviction of Kachidza.
