In the heady days of post-apartheid South Africa, as the nation celebrated its freedom and looked toward a brighter future, a serial killer was stalking the women of Atteridgeville, a township outside Pretoria. His name was Moses Sithole, and he would become known as the "ABC Killer" because his murders were concentrated in Atteridgeville, Boksburg, and Cleveland - A, B, C. Over a period of just two years, 1994 to 1995, Sithole raped and murdered at least 38 women. He lured his victims with promises of employment, operating a fake charity that supposedly helped disadvantaged women find work. Once he had them alone, he would rape them and strangle them with their own underwear. His victims were young, poor, and vulnerable - exactly the kind of women who would trust a man offering a way out of poverty. Sithole was arrested in 1995 after police linked him to the murders through witness testimony and phone records. In 1997, he was convicted of 38 murders and 40 rapes, and sentenced to 2,410 years in prison. The judge told him he would "never see freedom again." Moses Sithole remains incarcerated in South Africa's C-Max maximum security prison in Pretoria.
The Crimes: 38 confirmed murders of women, plus 40 rapes, between 1994 and 1995. Sithole operated in the townships around Pretoria and Johannesburg. He used a fake charity - "Youth Against Human Abuse" - to lure victims with promises of jobs. He strangled his victims with their own underwear. South African media dubbed him the "ABC Killer" after the locations of his crimes: Atteridgeville, Boksburg, Cleveland. His killing spree occurred during the transition from apartheid to democracy, a time when police resources were stretched thin and crime was rampant.
🔍 The Investigation
The investigation into the ABC killings was one of the largest in South African history. Police noticed a pattern: young women were disappearing from townships after being contacted about job opportunities. The bodies were found in remote areas, strangled with articles of clothing. Witnesses described a man in his 30s who approached women with offers of employment. Phone records linked several victims to a single number. That number belonged to Moses Sithole. When police arrested him in 1995, they found evidence linking him to the crimes. Sithole initially confessed, then recanted, claiming police torture. But the evidence was overwhelming. In 1997, he was convicted and sentenced to 2,410 years in prison. South Africa had abolished the death penalty in 1995, just as Sithole's killing spree was ending. He would spend the rest of his life behind bars.
"You will never see freedom again. You will spend the rest of your life in prison."
Conclusion: Moses Sithole's crimes were a dark counterpoint to South Africa's liberation. As the nation celebrated freedom, a predator exploited the chaos of transition to prey on the most vulnerable. The ABC Killer's capture and conviction were a test of the new South Africa's justice system. The system held. Sithole will die in C-Max Prison, never again to walk free. But his victims - 38 women whose lives were stolen - are a permanent scar on the nation's conscience.