Village near Masvingo
Village near Masvingo, Zimbabwe, where serial killer Alois Nduna is alleged to have killed 12 women. Getty Images

A man dubbed Zimbabwe's "vampire killer" after drinking the blood of his murder victims appeared in court in Masvingo

Alois Nduna, 26, has confessed to raping, killing and draining the blood of 12 women in central and southern Zimbabwe.

Ndunga told the court he was a Satanist, and drank the blood of his victims to make him stronger.

Recounting how he killed 26-year-old Beauty Hove on April 25, Nduna told Masvingo magistrate Langton Ndokera: "I grabbed Hove and bit her on the neck after which I started sucking her blood until she lost consciousness."

"She fell down and that's when I stopped sucking her blood," he said, reports Radio VOP.

At the hearing, Nduna was remanded in custody until May 26.

Police are investigating whether Nduna is behind a string of murders in Masvingo and other areas.

Nduna was arrested in a nightclub in Mvuma, central Zimbabwe, last week.