Serial Rapist Gilbert Fankomo Gets Four Life Terms
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Justice has finally caught up with Gilbert Fankomo, a notorious serial rapist from Mpumalanga. This week, he was handed four life sentences for a string of brutal crimes that terrorised the community. The court’s ruling brings relief to victims and their families, marking a decisive moment in the fight against gender-based violence in the region.
Gilbert Sibusiso Fankomo, aged 39, will spend the rest of his life behind bars after receiving four life sentences for a series of horrific attacks on teenage victims.
On Thursday, April 24, 2025, the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court in Mbombela delivered four life sentences to Gilbert Fankomo. According to police spokesperson Brigadier Donald Mdhluli, the ruling comes after Fankomo was found guilty of several rape charges, targeting vulnerable teenage girls over a period stretching from April 2009 to March 2022.
The court was confronted with chilling accounts of Fankomo’s predatory behavior, revealing how he manipulated and betrayed the innocence of young girls he deliberately targeted.
On October 27, 2021, in Masoyi, the accused manipulated an eight-year-old girl by claiming that her mother had asked him to take her to purchase a chicken. Instead, he led her to a remote location, where he took advantage of her.
The acting provincial police commissioner in Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi welcomed the sentence and conveyed his admiration for the diligent work of the investigation team, the prosecution team, and the judiciary.
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