Sipho Thwala

Sipho Mandla Agmatir Thwala (* 1968 in KwaMashu , KwaZulu-Natal ) is a South African serial killer who became known as the "Phoenix Strangler" . Between 1996 and 1997 he raped and murdered at least 16 women and was sentenced to 506 years in prison. However, it is believed that he is responsible for at least three other murders.

Between February and June 1997 , seven handcuffed, raped and burned female corpses were discovered in the sugar cane plantations of Mount Edgecombe, near the town of Phoenix, of which only one victim could be identified. It was Hlengiwe Mfeka, who was traveling with a man who had offered her a job. Based on her sister's description of the perpetrator, the investigators are concentrating on 30 to 40-year-old blacks who lived in the African settlements around the plantations. By July, police had found twelve other bodies, but also a cigarette butt and two used condoms, which ultimately provided the perpetrator's DNA .

A comparison of these with old police files led the investigators to Sipho Thwala, who had a previous conviction for rape and who was arrested shortly afterwards in his house without resistance. During the subsequent house search, jewelry, clothing and traces of blood were found from the victims. During the interrogation, he confessed to looking for workers for a hotel in Durban under the pretext of luring local women into his car, who he then tied up, raped and brutally murdered in the sugar cane plantations of Mount Edgecombe. Knowing the fact that the sugar cane fields will be burned by the owners after the harvest, this seemed the perfect crime scene to cover up traces. The court-appointed psychiatrist classified him as intelligent and extremely dangerous.

16 murders and 10 rapes could be proven beyond doubt. In three other murders, his perpetrator could not be fully clarified. On March 31, 1999, Sipho Thwala was sentenced to 506 years in prison by the Durban Court.

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personal data
SURNAME	Thwala, Sipho
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Phoenix Strangler
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	South African serial killer
DATE OF BIRTH	1968
PLACE OF BIRTH	KwaMashu , South Africa