Ekurhuleni serial rapist ‘not remorseful, must tell us why he did it’

Ekurhuleni serial rapist Nkosinathi Phakathi is likely to be sentenced as one of SA’s worst serial rapists following his guilty plea – to raping 90 women and children – in Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Phakathi joins some of the worst serial rapists in the country such as Sello Abraham Maponya, Sbongiseni Njabulo Prince Ngwenya and Moses Sithole.

Maponya is serving 988 years and five life imprisonments after he was found guilty last year of 32 counts of rape, numerous housebreakings and robbery with aggravating circumstances.

Ngwenya is serving 300 years and five life sentences after he was found guilty of 16 rapes, nine armed robberies, 13 housebreakings and one attempted murder.

Sithole murdered 37 women and one toddler between 16 July, 1994 and 6 November, 1995.

He also raped 40 women and was sentenced to 2 410 years in jail.

ALSO READ: ‘Ekurhuleni serial rapist’ pleads guilty to 148 charges, including raping children

Phakathi, 32, yesterday pleaded guilty to 148 charges including rape, sexual assault, kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, theft and possession of an unlicensed firearm.

During his arrest in March last year, he was shot in the leg when he allegedly fled from police who were trying to arrest him. His leg has since been amputated.

Serial rapist’s victims

He pleaded guilty to raping 90 women, most of whom were minors, when they were on their way to or from school.

Phakathi’s youngest victim was a nine-year-old girl and his oldest victim was a 43-year-old woman.

The nine-year-old had returned home from school to fetch her lunch money when Phakathi raped her.

In another incident, Phakathi raped a 15-year-old girl while she was on her way to school and robbed her of R10.

Phakathi was initially facing 203 charges but National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the state dropped 55 charges against him, taking them to 148.

He sat quietly in court while his lawyer, advocate Jacob Kgokane, read his guilty plea on the court’s record. Phakathi looked unfazed by the pain he had caused his victims.

He confirmed to the presiding judge that the contents of the statement read by Kgokane were true and that he knew what he was doing at the time he committed his crimes.

Outside court, Nini Mdluli, from the Community Safety Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Brigade in Ekurhuleni, said Phakathi showed no remorse.

Mdluli said they expected Phakathi to apologise to his victims and the community for the pain he caused them during his reign of terror.

“We would want him to talk before he is sentenced next week and tell us why he did what he did. Most of his victims were very young and he ruined their future,” said Mdluli.

Phakathi ‘not remorseful’

Another GBV Brigade member, Sharol Dhlamini, said it was shocking how Phakathi committed his crimes, especially because most of the victims were minors.

“It’s like there’s a war that has been [waged against] young children in this country. His arrest is not a victory because we are raising a shattered community,” she said.

Dhlamini said calling Phakathi a monster would be an understatement because one could not put a word to what he has done.

“Whatever sentence he is going to get will not be enough for the trauma that he has caused and the pain he has inflicted in our community,” said Dhlamini.

“Yes, he pleaded guilty to what he did, but I do not think he is remorseful. He needs to tell us why he did this before he is imprisoned.”

She added that she felt for his mother because no parent wants to raise a boy who will become like Phakathi.

The matter was postponed to next Tuesday for sentencing.

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– lungam@citizen.co.za