Mbabane – An 18-year-old Maphalaleni man is facing nine charges, including four counts of rape and five counts of robbery, arising from alleged incidents in the Nkoyoyo area between April and July 2026.
Bandzile Knowledge Gamedze appeared before Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi at the Mbabane Magistrate Court, where the Crown was granted permission to draw blood samples from him for further investigations.
The accused is facing rape charges involving alleged victims aged 20, 24, 41 and 15.
According to the charge sheet, the first alleged rape occurred on or about April 24, 2026, at Nkoyoyo, where Gamedze allegedly had an unlawful sexual act with a 20-year-old woman, Sakhile Mbalenhle Ngwenya.
The Crown alleges that the accused did not use a condom during the alleged offence.
The charge sheet further alleges that on or about April 21, 2026, Gamedze robbed Ngwenya of property valued at E1 000 after allegedly threatening to stab her with a spear.
The property allegedly taken consisted of a pair of socks valued at E20, a white North Face T-shirt valued at E300, an Adidas jersey valued at E600 and a charger valued at E80.
Gamedze is also accused of committing another alleged rape on or about April 28, 2026, involving a 24-year-old woman, Peggy Vilakati.
On the same date, he allegedly robbed Vilakati of a Huawei cellphone valued at E3 000 after allegedly threatening her with a spear.
The accused faces another rape charge arising from an alleged incident on or about July 16, 2026, involving a 41-year-old woman, Ntombifuthi Dlamini.
The charge sheet alleges that Dlamini was also robbed of a grey sweater valued at E200 after allegedly being threatened with a spear.
The fourth rape charge relates to an alleged incident on or about July 17, 2026, involving a 15-year-old girl, Naledi Simelane.
The Crown further alleges that the accused robbed Simelane of a Puma bag valued at E200 after allegedly threatening her with a spear.
Gamedze faces an additional robbery charge arising from an alleged incident on or about July 15, 2026, involving Patricia Sello.
According to the charge sheet, property valued at E5 370 was allegedly taken from Sello after she was allegedly threatened with a spear.
The property allegedly included a Samsung Galaxy A13 cellphone valued at E3 200, a Samsung Galaxy A01s valued at E2 000, a Tupperware container valued at E120 and E50 in cash.
The charge sheet states that the rape charges carry aggravating factors, including allegations that the accused did not use a condom during the alleged offences, thereby exposing the alleged victims to the risk of sexually transmitted infections.
It further states that, in the event of conviction, the accused’s particulars would be included in the register for sexual offenders.
The accused will remain in custody until July 31, 2026, for remand.
His trial has been set for September 21, 2026.
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