Bulelani Mabhayi was born in 1974 in South Africa. Specific details about his early life, including his upbringing and employment, are limited. He resided in the Eastern Cape province, particularly in the village of Tholeni.

Between May 2007 and August 2012, Bulelani Mabhayi committed a series of brutal attacks in the village of Tholeni, Eastern Cape. He targeted homes occupied by women and children, ensuring no men were present. His youngest victim was 14 months old, and the oldest was 79 years old. Mabhayi would often rape his victims before killing them using an axe or panga. ​

Despite the severity of his crimes, Mabhayi evaded capture for several years. In May 2010, local men over the age of 16 were subjected to questioning and fingerprinting. Mabhayi avoided this by claiming he lacked identification. His downfall came when he left a shoe at one of the crime scenes, which, along with a saliva sample taken in 2010, led to his  identification and arrest. ​Murderpedia+1Wikipedia+1

On September 3, 2013, Mabhayi was convicted of 20 counts of murder, 6 of rape, and 10 of burglary. He received multiple life sentences, ensuring he would spend the rest of his life in prison.