Other names David Albert Mhlanga Span of killings 1999–2001 Name David Simelane Date apprehended April 25, 2001 | Victims 28-45+ Country Swaziland Criminal penalty Capital punishment | |
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Born 1956 (age 58–59) Swaziland | ||
David Thabo Simelane (born 1956) is a Swazi serial killer who was convicted of killing 28 women and children.
Biography
David Thabo Simelane was born in Swaziland in 1956 and grew up in Ngcoseni. Simelane had previously been convicted of rape and robbery charges dating back to 1976. He was imprisoned for rape on June 23, 1993 and released in 1999. He claimed that he did not rape anyone. Revenge for the rape conviction was later stated as a motive in the murders.
From approximately 1999 to 2001, Simelane killed women and dumped their bodies in and around the woods of Malkerns, outside of Manzini. He was arrested in Nhlangano on April 25, 2001 after a tip off. He subsequently led police to the bodies of 45 people, among whom were several pregnant women, found in shallow graves. Simelane would reportedly lure the women to the forest with job prospects and then murder them. Simelane confessed that most of his victims had been strangled to death but some had been stabbed.
He was convicted of the murders of 25 women and three children on March 23, 2011. He was also acquitted of six counts of murder and an additional charge was withdrawn. Simelane was sentenced to hang on April 1, 2011.