Online Reporter
Guest Writer
FOR the first time in years, Plumtree is breathing freely after notorious predator Cabangani “Mike” Mathe (37) was finally thrown behind bars. The feared businessman, long believed to be untouchable, was caged for 20 years, ending a reign of terror that gripped the border town in fear and silence.
Outside Plumtree Magistrates’ Court, women erupted in wild celebration, ululating, hugging, and even collapsing in tears as word spread that the man they called “The Predator” was finally locked away. Across town, the mood was electric. On WhatsApp and Facebook, residents went wild, flooding timelines with celebratory stickers stamped
“Predator” and venting years of anger. Even people who had not posted anything online for years and had never contributed on residents’ groups came alive and frenziedly texted like everyone else. Comments literally rained on the B-Metro and Plumtree Titshi Facebook pages and the Plumtree Ward 1-6 WhatsApp group as relieved residents let off steam.
“Kahle kahle bekumele athole life sentence,” one user fumed, meaning, “He really deserved a life sentence.”
Another spat, “He should suffer in jail . . . what he did to our sisters should also be done to him by other inmates.”
But when one voice dared to preach pity with the proverb “bathi hleka isilima usufile” (don’t laugh at those in trouble, you don’t know what tomorrow holds for you), the backlash was instant and vicious.
“Do you want the victims to feel pity for this monster?” one person blasted.
Another sneered, “Ozizwa emzwela kaqalise ukumthengela ama toiletries,” meaning, “If you feel sorry for him, buy him toiletries and take them to prison yourself.”
Mathe’s conviction followed a horrifying attack on one of his female employees. Court records revealed that on 16 October, 2024, he abducted her, drove to a dark, isolated area, and forced her into a freezing water tank before repeatedly shoving her head under until she passed out.
Still dripping wet, she was dragged to his house, raped, and then coldly ordered to report for work the next morning as if nothing had happened.
For years, Mathe bragged that police could never touch him. Victims who dared to report him were threatened, silenced, or mysteriously saw their cases collapse.
But his fall has only just begun. Mathe still faces a string of nauseating charges. In the explosive “Judas Cop” case, he and rogue cop Thembani Mukanyani allegedly abducted a woman he allegedly raped from police custody and smuggled her to Botswana, where Mathe allegedly killed her. He is also accused of sexually exploiting a minor and torturing another woman by forcing her under water while stepping on her back.
Police say the 20-year sentence is a turning point.
“This man terrorised women across Plumtree and beyond. It is safe to speak now. The law will protect you,” a senior officer vowed.
As news of his caging spread, even men confessed they had been victims or had been extorted by Mathe but were too afraid to speak.
One wrote, “So sesingakhuluma esikufunayo kathesi?” — “So now we can finally speak our minds?”
Plumtree has spoken loudly. The monster has been caged, and fear has finally been beaten into silence.
