On Tuesday a suspected Ekurhuleni serial rapist pleaded guilty to all charges he is facing in the Palm Ridge magistrate’s court.

Nkosinathi Emmanuel Phakathi, 32, is facing 148 charges, including rape, sexual assault. Kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, theft and possession of an unlicensed firearm.

Phakathi was initially facing 203 charges. But National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the state dropped 55 charges against him. Taking the count of charges to 148.

EKURHULENI SERIAL RAPIST VICTIMS

He pleaded guilty to raping 90 women most of which were minors who were on their way to or from school. His 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. He forced her to undress and he 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.

SHOWING NO REMORSE

The Pretoria high court trial sitting in Palm Ridge resumed on Wednesday for Phakathi’s guilty plea statement to be read in court through his lawyer, advocate Letau Kgobane.

He sat quietly in court while his lawyer was reading his guilty plea on record. He looked unfazed by the pain he had caused his victims.

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

Phakathi, from Daveyton on the East Rand, has been in a prison hospital since his arrest in March last year. He was shot in the leg when he allegedly fled from police officers who had come to arrest him. His leg has since been amputated.

Phakathi allegedly terrorised women within the Ekurhuleni metro for nine years. He was arrested at the Barcelona section in Etwatwa.

His alleged rape spree dates back to 2012, with victims aged between 12 and 20, in the east of Benoni, including Daveyton, Putfontein and Crystal Park.

The matter was postponed to 8 November for sentencing.

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