A South African man convicted of 90 counts of rape, including of girls as young as nine, was sentenced on Friday to 42 life sentences.

Nkosinathi Phakathi, 40, targeted schoolgirls and forced children to watch him carry out rapes in or around Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, between 2012 and 2021.

Phakathi will receive 42 life sentences for charges including rape, kidnapping, theft and assault, the Johannesburg High Court heard as Judge Lesego Makolomakwe handed down the judgement in the case that shocked the nation.

“Our courts have an obligation in imposing sentences for such a crime, particularly when it involves young, innocent, defenceless and vulnerable girls,” the judge said.

Some of the victims “were on their way to school and were wearing school uniform”, Makolomakwe said. Others “were on their way to work, some of the complainants were sexually violated at their homes in the presence of their family members while others were locked into a secluded area”, she said.

Wearing a grey tracksuit and holding crutches, Phakathi kept his face buried in his arms for the duration of the ruling, only occasionally facing the judge with a sombre expression. He was shot by police in the leg when he tried to flee following his dramatic arrest.

South Africa suffers from a soaring violent crime rate, one of the highest in the world, with rape and murder rampant. Police data showed that there were 9,309 rapes between April and June 2024, up by 0.6 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Women’s rights advocates have accused the government of not doing enough to tackle violence against women.