Durban — The South African Police Service (SAPS) has shared how KwaZulu-Natal’s Sergeant Edward Mndeni Mzila’s quality investigation placed 50 sexual predators behind bars for a combined 79 life terms and 1 336 years imprisonment.

While observing 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children, the SAPS introduced Detective Sergeant Mzila, based at the Serial and Electronic Crimes Investigations (SECI) Unit in Inanda.

The SECI is a specialised investigation unit that deals with the investigation of serial rape cases and sexual crimes committed through electronic mediums such as child pornography.

As an investigator, Sergeant Mzila dedicated the past decade to investigating serial rapists and ensuring they serve long prison sentences. He ensures sex predators no longer pose a threat to the community, especially to vulnerable groups such as women, children and people living with disabilities.

Sergeant Mzila has secured 79 life-term sentences and an additional 1 336 years imprisonment for 50 sexual predators, to date.

His impressive detective work saw him arresting and securing harsher sentences for several serial rapists and sexual predators in KZN.

Sergeant Mzila’s career highlights include the arrest and sentencing of a 30-year-old Moses Mavila dubbed the ‘Durban Highway Rapist’ for how he attacked his victims along the busy M19 freeway in Durban.

Over seven years, Mavila preyed on unemployed women aged between 20 and 58 years. He would lure his unsuspecting victims to the Westville and New Germany areas under the premise of employment opportunities. He would rape them and rob them.

Mavila’s case landed on Sergeant Mzila’s desk for further investigation. The suspect was unknown for seven years, but the tenacious Sergeant Mzila’s dedication and stellar investigative skills brought Mavila to book.

Sergeant Mzila meticulously pieced all the evidence together and linked the suspect with DNA to 32 cases of rape, and two cases of attempted rape and robbery.

With overwhelming evidence presented in court by Sergeant Mzila, Mavila decided to plead guilty to all charges.

On August 31, 2019, the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court sentenced Mavila to 32 life terms and 384 years imprisonment on 32 counts of rape, attempted rape and robbery.

In the case involving the Facebook serial rapist, Sergeant Mzila’s investigative skills and hard work put another sex predator behind bars when he secured lengthy sentences for Siyabonga Ndwandwe, aged 31.

Ndwandwe used Facebook to lure his victims to Durban, offering them prospective employment as child-minders and tuck-shop assistants. Once they arrived in Inanda, he would take them to a secluded area rob and rape them at knifepoint.

Sergeant Mzila thwarted his two-year reign of terror when he traced and arrested Ndwandwe in 2020.

With a water-tight case brought against him by Sergeant Mzila, Ndwandwe pleaded guilty to all seven rape charges. The Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court sentenced him to 175 years imprisonment.

Presently, Sergeant Mzila is investigating the rape and murder of a 17-year-old girl. He traced and arrested three suspects within a short period.

Mzila vows to fight for justice for vulnerable groups in our society and pleads with victims of gender-based violence to speak up and report perpetrators to the police.

“Working on these cases has given me the drive and passion to fight the scourge of gender-based violence not only within 16 Days of Activism but as an ongoing thing.

“Looking at the degree of violence perpetuated against women and children, including people living with disabilities who can’t fight for themselves. I took it upon myself to use my skills to fight for them and put perpetrators behind bars for the rest of their lives,” Sergeant Mzila stated.

Observing this year’s 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children the SAPS highlighted the work of its men and women in blue who work tirelessly to put behind bars those involved in the abuse of our country’s women, children and vulnerable groups.

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