A South African court on Tuesday convicted a man of more than 90 rapes, some of which involved children, in a case that has deeply shocked the country.
A court in Palm Ridge, near Johannesburg, convicted Nkosinathi Phakathi, 38, of attacking schoolgirls and forcing boys to watch him commit rape for nine years between 2012 and 2021.
“He attacked his victims when they were going to or coming from school or work, in the morning or in the afternoon (…) Some of them were attacked in their own homes,” said Lumka Mahanjana, a spokesperson for the prosecution in a statement from press. release.
“He pretended to be an electrician who had come to fix a water heater or other appliances and raped them (…) In some cases, when he raped several people at the same time, he made the other one watch,” he said. add.
Most of his victims were schoolchildren, the youngest was nine years old and the oldest 44, according to the prosecution.
He was arrested in March 2021, after trying to return to the home of one of his victims, the prosecution said. Police shot him in the leg, which has since been amputated.
“Pandemic” of violations
On Tuesday, wearing a gray hoodie, the convict, who last week pleaded guilty to 148 counts, sat staring at the ground, his head drooping between forearms resting on a pair of crutches as the judge reviewed the long list of his crimes.
He was later convicted of 90 rapes, forcing four others to rape, forcing a child to watch a sexual act three times, 43 kidnappings, two assaults, and four robberies.
His sentence is due to be served in early December. “The state intends to ask the court to impose a sentence that sends a strong message that such crimes of sexual violence will not be tolerated,” said Lumka Mahanjana.
The verdict comes a week after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said sexual violence should be considered the main “pandemic” affecting the country, while not a day goes by without new “horrible” crimes being reported.
Source: BFM TV
