Women recount how their lives were ruined by ‘heartless rapist’

A terrible and heartless human being who preyed on women and ruined their lives.

This is how an activist and victims of one of Gauteng’s worst serial rapists described him after his guilty plea to 148 charges. including 93 of rape at a high court trial sitting at the Palm Ridge magistrate’s court yesterday.

A stone-faced Nkosinathi Emmanuel Phakathi, 32, sat motionless with his head buried in his hands as his legal aid lawyer read out his guilty plea statement, which detailed the heinous crimes he committed between 2012 and 2021.

Nini Mdluli from the Community Safety Gender-Based Violence Brigade said Phakathi had shown no remorse for his crimes.

“He is heartless,” Mdluli said.

“I do not know how to describe what he did. What he did is shocking. No punishment will bring back the dignity of the children he raped. How could he harm innocent children? He has ruined their futures.” .

One of Phakathi’s victims, who said she had turned to alcohol to cope with the trauma of being raped in 2018 while preparing for grade 11 exams, said she was relieved she would not have to face him in court to testify.

“I am glad I do not have to testify and relieved at what happened in court. The best punishment he got was being shot in the leg and having his leg amputated,” she said.

The 23-year-old from Daveyton on the East Rand told Sowetan that she had suffered from depression after the incident.

“I was not eating for days and drank wine to get some sleep at night. The incident happened in my bedroom and I sometimes have nightmares,’’ she said .

Even worse for the then schoolgirl, going to school was another challenge and she began  bunking lessons as she battled emotionally after the rape.

She said Phakathi raped her after he gained entry into her parents’ home under the false pretence of being a construction worker. She expressed relief that Phakathi had pleaded guilty.

Phakathi’s lawyer, Adv Letau Kgobane, told the court how his client had confessed to approaching his victims in the street and threatening them with a knife and luring them to a nearby bush, where he would force them to undress before raping them. He would then flee the scene.

In other instances Phakathi would go to his victims’ homes under the false pretences of looking for menial work, only to pull out a gun and threaten them. Once inside the house he would take them to the bedroom and rape them. 

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

He initially faced 203 charges but National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the state dropped 55 charges against him, settling for a total of 148.

Of these, according to prosecutor Salome Scheepers, 93 are rape cases.

Another victim said she had relocated from the area where she was raped out of fear. She was 22 when she was raped in 2017, when Phakathi came to her house pretending to be an electrician.

“I just want to see him locked up in prison forever. He damaged my spirit,’’ she said.  

Phakathi terrorised women and girls within the Ekurhuleni metro for nine years. He was arrested at Barcelona section in Etwatwa in March last year. His victims were aged between 12 and 20 years and were from the east of Benoni, including Daveyton, Putfontein and Crystal Park.

Phakathi has been in a prison hospital since his arrest in March last year. He was shot in the leg as he fled from the police officers who had come to arrest him. The leg has since been amputated.

He has been kept at a prison hospital at Modderbee Correctional Services Centre.

Acting judge Lesego Makolomakwe said she will deliver her judgment on Tuesday, November 8.

kokam@sowetan.co.za