The man dubbed the Ekurhuleni serial rapist, Nkosinathi Phakathi, has been sentenced to 791 years direct imprisonment by the Palmridge Magistrate's Court in Katlehong today. The 40-year-old father of three from Daveyton was sentenced to 42 life sentences for 90 cases of rape, 43 counts of kidnapping, two counts of assaults, four counts of theft and four counts of compelled rape and four life sentences for forcing minors to witness a sexual act.

HIS REIGN OF TERROR

Phakathi's reign of terror started in June 2012 and lasted until March 2020, when he was arrested. His victims range from 12 years to 20 years and include males. Some of the male victims were forced to watch Phakathi when he raped his female victims. In 2015, he forced a 14-year-old to rape two 15-year-old girls. He would target his victim either in their homes or in public, pretending to be a municipal worker, to gain access to their homes. Phakathi was found guilty on 90 counts of rape, several counts of kidnapping, and robberies. 

Handing down her sentence, Magistrate Lesego Makolomakwe said Phakathi was not remorseful and only pleaded guilty to the charges because the state had a strong case against him. "The crimes were pre-meditated as he targeted vulnerable members of the community and was armed with a knife, threatening their lives. His actions have lifelong impacted the victims and their families, and they are related to gender-based violence, which is rife in the country," Makolomakwe said. She added that the sentence will send a strong message to the perpetrator and those who violate women and children.

SHOT DURING ARREST 

Investigating officer, warrant officer Tlala Mokwena, told the court that the lengthy sentence in such cases helps restore the dignity of the victims. "During the arrest, we had to chase him for over 2 km and shoot two warning shots, but he didn't stop until we shot him in his right leg. He already knew that we were looking for him, as we had a picture of him and it was circulating in the media, but this didn't stop him from committing further crimes. When I got to him at the scene, he pleaded with me to kill him, but I told him I couldn't kill him as he had to face his crimes," Mokwena said, adding that Phakathi pleaded guilty because there was DNA linking him to the rapes and more strong evidence against him. 

VICTIMS SHARED THEIR TRAUMA 

The mother of one of the victims, who cannot be named to protect her identity, said Phakathi has caused a lifetime pain to all the victims. "He has taken so much from us; he violated my daughter while my grandchild was watching. He has stolen the joy in our home and that cannot be returned; seeing him even today broke my daughter," she said. The court further ordered that the serial rapist's name be added to the national registry of sexual offences and he is not allowed to own a firearm.