THE man who allegedly kidnapped, raped and brutally killed two young women in Thohoyandou also sexually assaulted several others who dropped criminal charges fearing for their lives since he was still roaming the streets, the court heard yesterday.
Senior State Prosecutor, Mashudu Nekhumbe told the Thohoyandou Magistrates Court in Limpopo on Wednesday, May 14, that Lawrence Madega (51) not only raped and killed Mukondeleli Manala (15) and Hulisani Mafela (25), but also several other victims.
She said the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was still busy with DNA tests to determine whether Madega raped Manala and Mafela before murdering them.
“There are so many young women he raped in the Thohoyandou and Nzhelele area. The victims opened the case and later withdrew fearing for their lives because the accused was still outside,” said Nekhumbe.
Madega, of Tshikombani village in Thohoyandou, allegedly went on a raping and killing spree in and around the Vhembe district, preying on young women who were hitch-hiking in the area.
The court heard that Madega found Manala waiting for her transport to the church on Sunday November 10, 2024 at Khalavha village and offered her a lift in his Toyota Tazz. That was the last time the 15-year-old girl was seen alive.
Manala, a Grade 10 learner at Dzata Secondary School in the Nzhelele area, was later found murdered and dumped in the Thathe Vondo Pine Plantation – less than a kilometre from her home.
Her naked body had a deep cut on the neck and used condoms were found beside it. The NPA said the used condoms raised suspicions that Manala might have been raped before Madega allegedly murdered her.
The employees of Komatiland in the Thathe Vondo Pine Plantation discovered Manala’s body, two days after her family opened a missing case at Siloam Police Station.
The second victim, Mafela, of Phiphidi Village, also met the same fate. Madega allegedly offered her a lift from her workplace at Thavhani Mall in Thohoyandou. She was also kidnaped and later murdered. Mafela’s body was found burnt beyond recognition in the bushes near the Tshivhase Tea Estate in Nzhelele.
Madega was arrested by the Siloam police at his Tshikombani home in Nzhelele on November 12, 2024, days after the discovery of the two women’s lifeless bodies.
He made his first appearance in the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court on November 14, 2024 and again on March 25 this year where he abandoned his bail application.
National Prosecuting Authority Spokesperson Mashudu Malabi Dzhangi said Madega faced two charges of murder, kidnapping and possession of an unlicensed firearm and defeating the ends of justice.
Magistrate Tshililo Netshinombelo yesterday postponed the case to June 24, 2025, just to give the NPA ample time to complete the DNA tests.
“This is the last postponement. I won’t listen to any excuse on the 24th of June because I don’t want communities to lose trust on our Justice System. I want to proceed with the prosecution,” said Magistrate Netshinombelo.
Spokesperson of the bereaved families, Thivhulawi Netshivhodza said they want to see the law taking its course.
“When I think of the innocent Mukondeleli Manala who was doing Gr 10, I cry because she was going to the church when he kidnapped her. Manala was kind and brilliant in her studies. We were expecting to see her pursuing a medical career, but the heartless man cut her life short. As the Manala family, we don’t want to see him walking free because that will lead us to take the law into our own hands,” Netshivhodza said.
Tebogo Mamorobela, Limpopo ANC Women’s League Secretary, called on Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba to declare a state of emergency in the province over gender-based violence.
“Women and children are being raped and murdered daily. We want to see courts that are reserved for GBV cases,” said Mamorobela.
