The man accused of murdering three Port Elizabeth women, including young mother Kelly Bain, has detailed how in between the brutal killings he went on a housebreaking spree across the city, helping himself to goods valued at more than R300,000.
From a Kruger pendant to diamonds, gold and electronics, Sizwe Jika admitted to effortlessly breaking into five houses to steal the items – all in broad daylight – in a period of just four months.
He was ultimately linked to the offences through a fingerprint found at each crime scene.
In addition, he pleaded guilty on Monday to a housebreaking in Summerstrand in January 2011.
In that matter he stole a Nikon camera, diamond ring, R3,000 in cash and clothing with a total value of R26,000.
Jika, 27, described as a habitual criminal, faces an additional three counts of murder in another court.
Before being brought to the Port Elizabeth Regional Court on Monday, where he pleaded guilty to six counts of housebreaking with intent to steal and theft, Jika made a brief appearance in the magistrate’s court in connection with the murders of Bain, 26, of Brymore, Ann Ferreira, 83, of Summerstrand, and Ann Smit, 86, of Kamma Park.The murder case was postponed to June 19 for the director of public prosecutions to make a decision on whether or not to combine the charges.Jika, wearing leg irons and under heavy guard, was then accompanied to the regional court, where his guilty plea on the housebreaking counts was read into the record.Jika said it had been easy for him – sometimes accompanied by friends identified only as “Bongani” or “Thomas” – to gain access to the houses.On the morning of March 9 2018, Jika said Bongani and Thomas had accompanied him to a house in Gomery Avenue, Summerstrand.They managed to bend open the burglar bars.“Bongani and Thomas climbed through the window and I waited outside while they passed the items to me.”The men managed to steal an iPad, R2,500 in cash and a bluetooth speaker.Jika’s fingerprint was found later on the window pane.Then, on June 7, this time in Orange Drive, Sherwood, Jika said he used a steel pipe to force open a bedroom window.There he stole a laptop, cellphones, a portable hard drive, jewellery, clothing and knives all valued at about R40,000.On June 22, he was with Bongani and Thomas.“Bongani threw a stone through a window and then we managed to open it.“We all stole items. My fingerprint was found on a jewellery box,” he said.Jika and Thomas hit the jackpot at a house in Gillian Avenue, Glen Hurd, where they managed to steal half a Krugerpendant, 9ct gold ruby studs, pearls and other pieces of jewellery valued at R220,853.“Thomas and I removed a sliding door from the rail,” he said, explaining how they had quickly managed to gain entry.The final housebreaking occurred in Salem Road, Westering, where Jika forced open a kitchen window and then pushed out the burglar bars to steal jewellery worth R60,000.Judgment and sentence will be handed down on Tuesday.Jika is accused of raping and murdering Ferreira in her Kuruman Kloof Road home in May 2018.It is alleged that two weeks later, on May 28, he beat Smit with a hammer in her Martha Street home. She died on June 26 from head injuries.Bain’s murder followed less than a month after that.The young mother was stabbed in the neck in the presence of her month-old baby in the robbery at her Shabani Road townhouse on July 25.