Gift Mokoena, the 28-year-old man convicted for the taxi rapes, appears to be hiding the identity of some of his accomplices.
This might see some brazen criminals, including rapists, never brought to book.
In his plea statement deposed to the South Gauteng High Court sitting in Palm Ridge, Mokoena named only one associate.
This accomplice, a 30-year-old man from Killarney, was arrested along with Mokoena for acts they allegedly committed together. He will be prosecuted separately.
Mokoena revealed that they took turns to rape the women who boarded the taxi in Westdene.
But he claimed not to remember who was with him during most of the crimes. These accomplices drove the taxi while he raped his 13 victims in the backseat.
Some also raped the victims after Mokoena did, in addition to participating in robbing the women who boarded what they believed was a legitimate taxi.
Mokoena pleaded guilty and was convicted for 13 counts of rape, nine of robbery, nine of kidnapping, nine of pointing at his victims with
what resembled a firearm and one of sexual assault.
His sentencing proceedings were postponed on Tuesday.
For the crimes that date back to September 2016, Mokoena was linked to the rapes by DNA.
Mokoena revealed that he was with two friends when they pounced on a woman who boarded the white Quantum taxi in Meadowlands, Soweto.
“Due to the lapse of time, I cannot remember which of my friends were
in the taxi with me,” he said in the plea statement.
The woman was robbed of her cellphone and her bank card. One accomplice withdrew R250 from her account while she was held in the taxi.
“After we got the money, the taxi drove off,” said Mokoena.
“I took the complainant to the back of the taxi where I raped her whilst the taxi was in motion. I did not use a condom.
“After I had raped the complainant, I swapped places with my friend who was the driver of the taxi. I continued driving the taxi while he raped her,” said Mokoena.
He also could not remember who was with him when they violated a woman who took the taxi in Rosebank.
His poor memory was also “due to the lapse of time”. The victim was robbed of items including two cellphones, a wedding ring and bank card.
Mokoena said he sexually assaulted the woman by touching her breasts and vagina, in addition to forcing her to “suck on my penis”.
“My friends and I sold the items we robbed from the complainant to a Nigerian male,” he said.
Sentencing proceedings will resume earlier next month. @BonganiNkosi87