Maoupa Cedric Maake was born in 1956 in South Africa. He moved to Johannesburg as an adult and worked as a plumber. Maake was married and had four children, who lived in the province of Limpopo. He also had a girlfriend in Johannesburg. Before committing his terrible crimes, Maake had already served prison time for robbery and was known to struggle with personal issues.

Between 1996 and 1997, Cedric Maake became known as the "Wemmer Pan Killer" due to murders he committed near Wemmer Pan in Johannesburg. He attacked different types of victims, including people walking alone, couples sitting in parked cars, and shop owners. His attacks were brutal and involved either using a hammer or a firearm.

Maake attacked people alone on the streets by hitting them with a hammer, and sometimes he attacked couples sitting in cars. He would often rob his victims as well. At first, police did not connect all the attacks because they seemed so different.

Police finally arrested Maake in December 1997, after connecting evidence found at the scenes of his crimes. Investigators discovered he used a fake name when signing a receipt at one of his victims' stores, which led to his capture.

Maake faced a huge trial, charged with 36 murders, 28 attempted murders, 15 rapes, and 46 robberies. He was convicted on September 6, 2000, and was given a record-breaking sentence: 27 life sentences for the murders and another 1,159 years and 3 months for his other crimes. His total sentence added up to 1,340 years in prison.

Cedric Maake’s crimes remain among the worst serial killings in South Africa's history, leaving a lasting impact on the communities he terrorized.