Panga-Wielding Serial Rapist Sentenced To Life, Plus 76 Years

Polokwane – Panga-wielding serial rapist, 37-year-old Gift Mudau, a Zimbabwean, has been sentenced to life in prison plus 76 years for multiple counts of rape and compelled sexual assault.

Mudau was convicted of raping five women aged between 23 and 55 in the Thohoyandou area.

The crimes were committed several years ago.

On Thursday, 4 September 2025, the Thohoyandou High Court, sitting at Waterval, Limpopo, put a permanent stop to Mudau’s reign of terror by slapping him wth a life sentence plus seven and a half decades of prison time.

Evidence led in court showed that the crimes occurred in 2021.

On 6 April 2021, Madau attacked four women who were collecting firewood at Khubvi village.

Mudau, who wore a balaclava, threatened the women with a panga before raping them.

One of the five women stood up to him and refused to be intimidated.

Unable to get his way with her, Mudau fled the scene,

On 17 May 2021, the serial rapist struck again.

This time, Mudau accosted two women at Vhufuki Village.

The court heard how Mudau intimidated the two women and forced one to watch while he raped the other.

Afterwards, the woman, who was forced to watch her colleague being raped, became so traumatised that Mudau abandoned his attempt to rape her as well..

The rape survivors reported the incident.

As fate would have it, community members tracked and assaulted Mudau , who had ot be rescued by police from “mob justice”.

Mudau was taken to a hospital for treatment. While at the hospital, a rape survivor recognised him..

Further investigations linked Mudau to the earlier attacks through his modus operandi, and DNA evidence connected him directly to two of the victims.

The court imposed the following sentences:

• Four counts of rape – 10 years each
• One count of rape (victim raped twice) – Life imprisonment
• Twelve counts of compelled sexual assault – 3 years each
• All sentences are to run concurrently with the life sentence

The case was meticulously investigated by Detective Sergeant Khorommbi Manthakha of the Thohoyandou Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit, who successfully opposed bail until finalisation of the trial.

The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, welcomed the sentence:

“This ruling reflects the dedication of our specialised teams in the fight against gender-based violence,” said Lieutenant General Hadebe.

“I commend Detective Sergeant Manthakha and the entire team for ensuring that this dangerous predator is permanently removed from society.

“We also appreciate the community’s cooperation, but remind citizens that mob justice is not the answer – all crimes must be reported to the police for lawful