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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
A 28-year-old Zimbabwean man was today jailed for an effective six life sentences and 192 years for orchestrating an orgy of violent crimes including murder, kidnapping, robbery, and extortion in South Africa.

Wellington Kachidza was convicted on his own plea of guilty to six counts of murder, three of rape, eight for kidnapping, eight for extortion, eight for robbery with aggravation circumstances, and violating South Africa’s immigration laws, when he appeared at the Pretoria High Court today.

National prosecuting authority spokesperson for North Gauteng Region, Ms Lumka Mahanjana said the man committed the crimes around Pretoria between January 2018 and December 2019.

“The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes the sentencing of Zimbabwean national Wellington Kachidza (28), to 6 life terms and 192 years imprisonment by the Pretoria High Court, after he was convicted of 34 counts,” she said.

“Kachidza was convicted after he pleaded guilty to 6 counts of murder, 3 counts of rape, 8 counts of kidnapping, 8 counts of extortion, 8 counts of robbery with aggravation circumstances, and being in the country illegally.

He used the same method to lure male victims, pretending to ask for their assistance with driving, he would kidnap them and demand ransom money from their families.

After they paid him, he would then kill them. The reported cause of death based on post-mortem for the victims was head injury or trauma to the head”.