Johannes van Rooyen and Dumisani Makhubela

Johannes van Rooyen and Dumisani Makhubela
Born	van Rooyen: 1979 or 1980 (age 43–44) Makhubela: 1978 or 1979 (age 44–45)
Conviction(s)	Murder (x7) Rape (x6) 8 other crimes
Criminal penalty	445 years imprisonment
Details
Victims	7
Span of crimes	May – June 2005
Country	South Africa
State(s)	Mpumalanga
Date apprehended	7 June 2005

Johannes van Rooyen (born 1979–1980) and Dumisani Makhubela (born 1978–1979) were a pair of South African serial killers and mass murderers who murdered seven people in Mhluzi over the autumn of 2005. Most infamous for murdering a family of four, they also killed a woman and a young couple, all in the Mpumalanga province. They were arrested soon after their final two murders and each sentenced to 445 years imprisonment.

Murders

On 23 May 2005, the two invaded the Middelburg house of Mutebu family because they falsely believed the family had won the lottery. Upon entering the residence, they used wires to bound the hands and feet of Vusi Motebu, 33; his wife, Thuli Mathebula, 30; and their daughters, eight-year-old Nhlanhla and seven-year-old Koketso. The pair then forced the couple and Koketso to watch them take turns raping Nhlanhla on the bed in an attempt to make them give up their nonexistent lottery winnings. They also raped Mathebula. Afterwards, van Rooyen and Makhubela fatally stabbed Nhlanhla in the neck on the bed. On the floor beside her, they strangled her sister to death. In the kitchen, they stabbed the father in his chest and fatally strangled him. Finally, they hanged Thuli from the rafters of her living room with an electric cable. They then ransacked the home, stealing a hi-fi, DVD player, a handbag, jewelry, and framed photos. The only survivor of the attack was parents' toddler-age son, who was asleep at the time of the murders. He spent four days in the house before a neighbour discovered the boy and the bodies.

On May 28, 2005, the pair fatally strangled Nomakhosi Msombuka, a 21-year-old woman who was alone at her boyfriend's house.

While walking in a veld on 4 June 2005, the two happened upon 15-year-old Portia Motau and her boyfriend, 16-year-old Hlopi Mahlangu. They proceeded to rape Motau before bludgeoning both to death with rocks. They then stole both victims' clothing and fled the scene. The victims' bodies were shortly afterward, and the two were linked to the crime by fingerprints and DNA. Makhubela was arrested hours after the discovery along with two others, who were later proven innocent. Van Rooyen remained at large until December 2005, when police tracked him down to a brick factory in Ogies, where he was employed as a labourer. They were connected to the murders of Msombuka and the Mutebu family after clothes of the victims' were found in their possession.

Summary

Name	Age	Sex	Date	Cause of death
Nhlanhla Mutebu	8	F	23 May 2005	Stabbed in the neck
Thuli Mathebula	30	F		Hanged
Vusi Motebu	33	M		Stabbed in the chest and strangled/hanged
Koketso Mutebu	7	F		Strangled
Nomakhosi Masombuka	21	F	28 May 2005	Strangled
Portia Motau	15	F	4 June 2005	Stoned
Hlopi Mahlangu	16	M		Stoned

Legal proceedings

Van Rooyen and Makhubela were charged with 24 crimes, including seven counts of murder, six counts of rape, robbery with aggravating circumstances, housebreaking, and possession of an unlicensed firearm. Both pleaded not guilty to all charges. On 24 January 2006, forensic psychologist Gérard Labuschagne interviewed van Rooyen and Makhubela. Although both confessed to the murders, they tried to depict the other as the dominant partner. Labuschagne quickly concluded that van Rooyen was the 'leader' of the two. At their two-year-long trial, they were found guilty of 21 charges on October 2, 2007, but acquitted on two counts of raping a minor and one count of possession of unlicensed ammunition. Both were sentenced to 445 years imprisonment.