'Cato Manor serial rapist' abandons bail as charges rise to 27 - IOL

A man arrested for allegedly following several women home from Cato Manor taverns and raping them with pantyhose pulled over his face has abandoned his bail application.

Sphelele Ndlela, for the state, told the Durban Magistrate's Court on Monday that the charges against the 46-year-old had risen to 27.

The man cut a lonely figure in the dock with his arms folded, dressed in a blue jacket and a yellow shirt, in front of a half-full public gallery.

He followed the proceedings through an interpreter.

His lawyer told the court of his decision on bail, and the man was remanded in custody until October 28.

Ndlela said the state intended to refer the case to the director of public prosecutions, who would decide on the matter by that date.

The court repeated its order that the man may not be named and that no images of him may be published.

At the man's first appearance last week Monday, Ndlela had told the court that the state opposed bail and that more charges could follow.

The man faces charges of kidnapping, rape, housebreaking and attempted murder.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said last week that the man had "operated mostly at night".

"He followed women of different ages from taverns to their homes where he reportedly raped them," Netshiunda said.

Police said DNA evidence had linked the man to 14 rapes in Cato Manor between 2014 and 2025.

Police said he had also been linked to rapes in the Pietermaritzburg area.

Police said the pantyhose had stopped the women from seeing his face, which meant none of them could identify him.

Detectives from the Serial and Electronic Crime Investigation unit and the Investigative Psychology Unit arrested him in Cato Manor earlier this month.

Both units fall under the police's Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit.

KZN premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, who attended the man's first appearance, said the arrest showed that police could catch rapists even when nobody had seen the crime.

"From here, we need to communicate a message which is strong to the perpetrators, that even if you commit this kind of crime not being seen by the police, they have a way of investigating," Ntuli said.

"The arrest demonstrates the importance of professional, intelligence-led and evidence-based policing."