Serial killer Mkhwanazi ‘danger to society’, court hears

This follows the testimony of a social worker, on Wednesday, who compiled a pre-sentencing report after Mkhwanazi underwent a mental assessment in July.

The court earlier heard that Mkhwanazi showed little remorse over his crimes though he could distinguish between right and wrong.

In March, the court found him guilty of six counts of rape, and six more of murder after the decomposed bodies of 6 sex workers were discovered at his father’s Joburg panel beating workshop in October 2022.

READ MORE: ‘What if it was me?’- sex worker recalls brush with Mkhwanazi

Social worker Xolile Budaza supported the state’s call for Mkhwanazi to be handed the maximum sentence for his crimes.

Budaza presented her findings following five in-person consultations with Mkhwanazi in which she details his childhood, his response to the murders, and his conviction.

In her report, the social worker found that Mkhwanazi targeted people from a marginalized group and profession and that he had not successfully mastered the psychological development stages that form an important part of personality formation.

She also found Mkhwanazi was not honest about the root cause of his serial crimes and that he was not remorseful.

“Based on this analysis and the findings by the forensic psychiatrist, it is indicative that the accused has not reached the level of remorse. Although he was able to share his feelings in relation to his actions, they were focused on him, and how difficult it is to take another person's life.

“Therefore, deviation from the prescribed minimum sentence of life is not recommended as the accused seems to have suppressed a lot of unwanted experiences and emotions.”

ABSENT FATHER

Budaza found that Mkhwanazi had a difficult childhood which affected his socialization.

During the assessment, Mkhwanazi told social workers that he had no emotional connection with his father, whom he described as judgmental and abusive.

Mkhwanazi and his older sister grew up under the care of his sickly mother who died when he was 14 years old.

His sister took him in, and they lived together in another province until their father Mark Khumalo came for him a year later.

Mkhwanazi stopped attending school after his mother died in 2018 but later enrolled in an Islamic school in Soshanguve the next year.

A year later, his sister found him a new school and secured a sponsor for his tuition. According to her, Mhkwanazi dreamt of being an accountant or engineer when he grew up. His father refused to fund any further learning, however, leaving the teenager no choice but to drop out.

Khumalo decided it was a good idea to involve his son in his panel-beating business in downtown Johannesburg, where he earned R50-R100 daily.

READ MORE: Court hears of grim discoveries in Joburg ‘serial killer' case

Mkhwanazi says this is where he discovered sex workers, as many of them operated around his father’s place of business. 

Khumalo testified against his son, detailing the day of the grim discovery and the confession Mkhwanazi made to him which was admitted. as evidence.

INTRODUCTION TO SEX WORKER SERVICES

According to the social worker, Mkhwanazi began using the service of sex workers at a young age, and he hid his actions from his father.

He said he was never sexually abused.

“At the time of his arrest for his current case, he would use the services at least four times weekly; amounting to at least six different sex workers, as some days he could engage in sexual intercourse with two individuals,” Budaza told the court.

The social worker says she believes Mkhwanazi got more than just sexual pleasure from the women, as he sstruggled to make friends and form relationships, they helped him fill a void.  

The court heared that some of the women he solicited services from were concerned because of his age and some advised him to stop as he could easily get addicted.

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