One of Gauteng’s most notorious alleged serial rapists who terrorised women on the East Rand has been positively linked to 60 rape cases through DNA.
Police on Wednesday said Nkosinathi Phakade could be linked to 40 more cases.
He is expected to appear in absentia in the Daveyton magistrate’s court on Thursday on charges for a raping spree stemming back to nine years ago.
National police spokesperson Brig Vish Naidoo said:
“This man was arrested earlier this month on a single rape charge and the evidence collected at the crime scene matched evidence collected (from) 59 other cases to which this man has been connected,” said Naidoo.
Phakade was charged in absentia earlier this month as he could not be present in court due to the injuries he sustained during his arrest.
Naidoo said since Phakade’s arrest, several victims have come forward with additional information to assist police with investigations.
“With the inclusion of the analysis of the modus operandi, the suspect could possibly be linked to approximately 40 other cases, thus bringing a total number of cases to nearly 100 cases against this alleged sexual offences perpetrator,” said Naidoo.
A source close to investigations told said that Phakade was able to evade police for nine years by constantly moving around while on an alleged raping spree.
“He was living in Daveyton when we arrested him, but he had been moving around townships in the East Rand and living in informal settlements where he was not known to those communities,” the source said.
Phakade was arrested at Barcelona in Etwatwa last month after a search operation was conducted focusing on the immediate vicinity where he had been spotted by his victim.
His alleged victims are spread around areas east of Benoni, including Daveyton, Putfontein and Crystal Park, dating back to 2012.
“A victim recognised the suspect as the man who had allegedly raped her the previous year. She informed police … The police spotted the suspect the next morning. He was apprehended after a chase by the police,” said Gauteng police spokesperson Brig Mathapelo Peters.
A video of Phakade’s dramatic arrest surfaced on social media last month in which he appeared to be lying at a health facility injured while in handcuffs.
In the video shared on Twitter, a woman believed to be a nurse could be heard taunting and berating him for targeting young girls.
In the latest incident, he allegedly attacked and raped a woman from Crystal Park inside her home after he gained access claiming to be a delivery man.
The rape of the Crystal Park woman in February prompted Gauteng police to offer an undisclosed cash reward for information that would lead to his arrest and prosecution.
