| 2024/10/04 |
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Media Statement PRETORIA – The National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola commends detective Warrant Officer John Tlala Mokoena for a meticulous and thorough investigation which led to the Gauteng detective securing 42 life terms and 791 years for a serial rapist. Warrant Officer Mokoena is keeping true to his sterling track record of excellent investigations. The Gauteng Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Investigations (FCS) unit detective is known for tracing, hunting down and apprehending unknown serial rapists by piecing together evidence and information from victims that ultimately leads to these perpetrators lengthy convictions behind bars. He has in his seventeen years of service in the police, placed 27 SERIAL RAPISTS BEHIND BARS. Amongst some of his string of notable cases and successes include the sentencing of six serial rapist taxi drivers to a combined 17 life terms and more than 800 years imprisonment in the 2018/2019 financial year. These taxi drivers would pick up commuters and the last to be dropped off, would be robbed off their monies and raped. In 2019, he was voted and crowned the Laurette winner at the South African Police Service 6th National Excellence Awards. This, saw Mokoena walk away with a brand new vehicle and a monetary award. He is also a two times back to back recipient of the National Commissioners Special award. Warrant Officer Mokoena began investigating Nkosinathi Phakathi in 2020 after a police investigation revealed that there was a serial rapist operating in the Benoni area. He immediately sprang into action working closely with the SAPS Investigative Psychology Section (IPS). The SAPS Investigative Psychology Section (IPS) consists of criminologists and clinical psychologists and was established in 1997 to provide investigative support to Detectives investigating psychologically motivated crimes. Psychologically motivated crimes are crimes that are driven primarily by an intrinsic or psychological motive rather than a financial gain. They include serial murder and rape, Paedophilia and Child pornography and Mass murders. Phakathi’s reign of terror came to an end on the 17th of March 2021 when Mokoena and the IPS team descended in the Etwatwa area after receiving information that the serial rapist was in the area. He was pursued and ultimately arrested by Mokoena and the IPS team. Phakathi spent about four months under police guard in hospital after sustaining a gunshot wound while attempting to evade arrest. The father of four says he kept his promise to the victims of this serial rapist. He says, he promised Nkosinathi’s victims that he would find him and put him away forever. He says he finds joy in securing lengthy convictions for serial rapists and perpetrators of Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) cases. “I am doing this for the 68 young girls who were 9, 10, 12, 13 and 14-years-old at the time of these rapes, I’m also doing it for all these victims that have been hurt and traumatised by Nkosinathi Phakathi. My end goal was to bring closure to these victims who took away the innocence of these young girls. Even though what happened to them cannot be erased but they will now sleep better, knowing their rapist will spend the rest of his life in jail”, said Warrant Officer Mokoena. Mokoena says it’s back to the drawing board, he is busy pursuing other possible serial rapists. He has vowed to do more for rape and GBVF victims. General Fannie Masemola says Warrant Officer Mokoena is an example of the calibre and pocket of excellence that exists within the South African Police Service. General Masemola also thanked the NPA’s Advocate Salome Scheepers, the prosecutor in this case, for her role in securing this lengthy conviction. The FCS is a unit within the SAPS that is dedicated to investigating sexual offences related and Gender-Based-Violence-and-Femicide crimes. Ends
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