Justice served: 2024 sees 2 notorious serial rapists sentenced

JOHANNESBURG - It's been a year of justice and heartbreak as South Africa witnessed the sentencing of two notorious serial rapists.  

Nkosinathi Phakathi and Sifiso Mkhwanazi's names are now synonymous with unspeakable horrors.  

Phakathi, known as the Ekurhuleni Monster, left a trail of devastation that spanned nearly a decade.  

From 2012 to 2021, he preyed on women and girls as young as nine, committing 94 rapes, 43 kidnappings, and other heinous crimes.  

Meanwhile, 21-year-old Sifiso Mkhwanazi lured and murdered six women between April and October 2022, targeting sex workers in a six-month spree that shocked the nation.  

In October, Phakathi was sentenced to 42 life terms plus 791 years - a lifetime behind bars for his decade-long reign of terror.  

Mkhwanazi, on the other hand, received six life terms and an additional 190 years in prison.  

Despite the brutality of their crimes, judges presiding over both cases felt that there was hope for rehabilitation.  

"You’re still relatively youthful. You have the time to use the programmes in prison to help yourself, and if you comply with them, there’s a good chance you could be released before then."  

While Phakathi will never see freedom, Mkhwanazi's sentence will be reviewed in 30 years to determine if he remains a threat to society.