A convicted serial sexual offender, who allegedly posed as a job recruiter to lure and attack female jobseekers, has been apprehended in Phoenix.
The man was arrested by members of Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) on Sunday. His capture followed a search launched by reaction officers on Friday after two women approached an officer for help, said RUSA spokesperson Prem Balram.
“The victims reported that they had each received a phone call from an unknown man offering them employment and arranging to meet them the following morning on Fernham Drive in Westham.
During the meeting, the suspect claimed to have secured positions for the women as kitchen staff and led them on foot towards what he said was the workplace. Near Gandhi Park on Phoenix Highway, the accused diverted them to an isolated pathway, allegedly to take a shortcut. Out of public view, the man then reportedly robbed both women of their cellphones and sexually assaulted one of them,” said Balram. “The women managed to escape and fled to seek assistance. Despite an immediate search by reaction officers, no arrest was made at the time.
Officers patrolling near Gandhi Park on Sunday noticed a neatly dressed man with distinctive facial scars matching the description provided by the victims. Upon questioning him and after confirming his identity with one of the victims, the suspect was restrained,” Balram added.
According to Balram, the accused revealed during an interview that he is originally from Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape and has been living as a vagrant in Phoenix since June 2025.
“The accused admitted to approaching women under the guise of helping them secure employment, then luring them to remote locations where he would rob and sexually assault them. He obtained contact numbers of his victims by approaching random pedestrians, informing them that he could arrange employment for family and friends. Unsuspecting individuals would provide contact numbers after he convinced them that a telephonic interview would have to be conducted prior to meeting them personally,” said Balram.
“Detectives from the Phoenix Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit were called to the scene and confirmed that the suspect is linked to multiple rape cases in the Brookdale and Gandhi Park areas. He had previously been imprisoned for sexual assault and robbery and was released from prison in May 2025.
The suspect is currently detained at SAPS Phoenix,” Balram added.
