Elias Xitavhudzi

Elias Xitavhudzi
Born	Elias Xitavhudzi Union of South Africa
Died	(1960-11-14)14 November 1960 Pretoria Central Prison, Pretoria, Union of South Africa
Cause of death	Execution by hanging
Other names	Pangaman
Criminal penalty	Death by hanging
Details
Victims	16
Span of crimes	1953–1959
Country	South African Union

Elias Xitavhudzi was a South African serial killer who murdered 16 women in Atteridgeville, South Africa, in the 1950s. Xitavhudzi targeted only whites in the then-strictly segregated community. His killing spree caused a local sensation during the peak years of South Africa's apartheid regime. Prior to his capture, he acquired the nickname "Pangaman" (panga being a local word for the machete with which he mutilated his victims).

Xitavhudzi was arrested after selling a stolen watch that had belonged to one of his victims. In prison, he confessed to all his crimes. He was quickly tried and convicted of 16 murders. Sentenced to death, he was hanged on 14 November 1960. He was the second in a series of at least a half-dozen serial killers to have plagued the township of Atteridgeville.[1]

See also

• Moses Sithole
• Elifasi Msomi
• Daisy de Melker
• List of serial killers in South Africa

References

1. Newton, Michael (2006). The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. Infobase. pp. 207, 246. ISBN 9780816069873.