The four life sentences handed down to rapist and murderer Headman Dyosi should serve as a deterrent to other would-be rapists, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Eastern Cape said on Monday.
“We are tasked with ensuring the safety of society. This sentence should serve as a deterrent for other would-be rapists and murders, we take the safety of women and children seriously,” said NPA provincial spokesperson Luxolo Tyali.
Tyali welcomed the four life sentences handed down to Dyosi by the Mthatha High Court sitting in Komani on Friday.
Dyosi’s sentencing followed his trail of terror wherein he raped seven women and killed four in Ngcuka village, Cacadu (previously known as Lady Frere).
The crimes were committed between 7 April 2012 and 15 May 2015.
Friday’s sentencing -- which resulted in four life sentences for each count of murder and 15 years for each of the seven counts of rape, which he will serve concurrently in a maximum security facility -- brings to finality his reign of terror.
Tyali said the court described Dyosi who prior to his rape and murder spree, had been on parole for house breaking and murder -- as someone who was cold-hearted.
“We are happy with the sentencing. Dyosi had previously broken his parole conditions on his 18-year sentence in a house breaking and murder case,” said the NPA.
He was sentenced for the murder and house-breaking counts in 2002.
Dyosi was linked to the rape and murder crimes through cell phone records, as he would often take the cell phones of his victims.
The sentencing bodes well for a country battling high levels of violence against women and children.
Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), in the Crime against Women in South Africa (2018) report, estimates that 138 per 100 000 women were raped in 2016/17, the highest rate in the world. - SAnews.gov.za
