Court must send a clear message through Phakathi’s sentencing that enough is enough

What makes a man rape 90 women? Only a sick person is capable of doing such a thing. To call Ekurhuleni serial rapist Nkosinathi Phakathi a monster is an understatement. No word can describe his sinister behaviour. It is people like him who give men bad names, like “men are trash”.

I share the sentiments of those who were at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, that Phakathi deserves to rot in jail after he pleaded guilty to 148 charges, including rape, sexual assault, kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, theft and possession of an unlicensed firearm.

Phakathi’s story sent a chill down my spine and has brought back memories of another infamous serial rapist and killer – Moses Sithole. I would not be surprised if Phakathi was the friendliest person as this is often the demeanour of serial rapists.

Sithole – who murdered at least 37 women and one toddler between July 1994 and October 1995 – was a charming man. He also raped 40 women. Most of Sithole’s victims were enticed to their assaults – and often deaths, in broad daylight – with promises of employment opportunities that would never materialise.

ALSO READ: More hot air while women die

Sithole’s terror began in Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria, continued in Boksburg and finished in Cleveland, Johannesburg. I met Sithole in 1995 when he came to The Star’s offices where I was a reporter. At the time, he was assisting street kids – mostly girls – to be reunited with their families.

I went with him to several homes in Soweto and Atteridgeville, where he reunited the children with their families. He was also involved in community projects where he helped the needy. He told me he liked helping people because he didn’t want them to suffer like him.

I suspect he used the cuttings of stories I wrote about him to lure his victims because police discovered more bodies around that time. When he saw his picture splashed on the front page of The Star in 1995 after it became apparent that he was the suspect in the serial killings, Sithole called me. He claimed responsibility for almost all the murders, but denied any part in the ones committed in Cleveland.

He said that he hated women because he had been imprisoned after one falsely accused him of rape. To prove that he really was the killer, he finished the call with some clues about the location of an undiscovered victim. He asked me to facilitate his arrest and promised to call again.

A police officer – with a recording device – was stationed at my desk, awaiting Sithole’s call. After he was traced through his sister’s phone and arrested in Johannesburg around October 1995, I met Sithole again at the High Court in Pretoria the following year, when I was one of the witnesses at his trial.

When he saw me, he had that devilish smile. I confirmed to the judge that the voice on the recordings was that of Sithole and that he had confessed to me about the murders.

When he was sentenced to 2 410 years in jail I felt happy and satisfied that my evidence was key in his conviction because I was initially reluctant to testify until I was subpoenaed by the court.

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

That’s why, when Sithole phoned me later, I turned down his invitation to visit him in prison for another interview. I told him rapists and killers do not deserve publicity.

I had thought the harsh sentence imposed on Sithole would serve as a deterrent to others. But it seems this was not the case because we still have people like Phakathi inflicting pain. I pray that on Tuesday the court will send a clear message – through Phakathi’s sentencing – that such actions will not be tolerated. Enough is enough!