Moses Mavila, known as the Durban highway rapist, has been sentenced to 32 life sentences behind bars after being found guilty of 61 counts of rape, robbery, and intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Mavila became notorious for raping and defiling at least 30 women between 2013 and 2016. The name, Durban Highway Rapist, was coined from the area — the M19 highway — in which he targeted unsuspecting women who were desperate for a job.
He was found guilty in July 2019; however, sentencing was delayed because of the magistrate involved with the case being on leave on the date of the original sentencing, which was moved to 30 August 2019.
Throughout the case, Mavila’s attorney pleaded for leniency for her client due to his unfortunate history that warped his perception of women
”You lack the capacity for mercy which you now want the court to give you,” she said.
Handing down her sentence, magistrate Bilkish Asmal said that the crimes showed a level of disrespect for a woman’s bodily integrity.
“These are serious offences that the court has to deal with every day. The victims in this matter were law-abiding citizens who were desperate for employment and were stripped of their dignity and humanity,” she said.
“All these women wanted was to secure a job but you preyed on them,….You lack the capacity for mercy which you now want the court to give you,” she said.
She went on to send a warning shot to all those who violate women in her sentencing of the case, adding that a rapist murders his victims’ self-respect and physical, mental, and emotional health.
In a final act of defiance, serial rapist Moses Mavila turned to the packed gallery at the Pinetown magistrate’s court and said: “I’ll be back.”
