AS the world observes the annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children campaign, cops have shed light on the work done by Sergeant Molwantoa Rapakgadi, who played a key role in removing GBV perpetrators from society.
To date, Rapakgadi has secured 57 life-term sentences and an additional 3 074 years in prison for 17 serial rapists.
Rapakgadi is a seasoned detective in the Gauteng’s Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations (SECI) unit.
SECI is a specialised unit within the provincial Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) that investigates serial rapists and offenders involved in child pornography.
Living up to his first name as, Molwantoa, loosely translated from Sepedi, means "warrior’" Molwantoa consistently strives for service excellence.
In 2020, he was awarded a Certificate of Commendation by the national police commissioner for successfully linking six accused, dubbed the "Six Men Syndicate’" to a series of crimes they committed around the areas of Gauteng, Klipgat in North West and Modimolle in Limpopo between 2010 and 2018.
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According to Rapakgadi, the best part about being a detective is the ability to crack the most difficult cases.
“Being a detective is my calling, and it gives me great pleasure to solve complex cases. Most of my suspects are unknown at first but through various investigative techniques, I'm able to identify, trace and arrest these serial rapists,” he said.
Adding to the long list of successful prosecutions, Rapakgadi’s greatest work was when he stopped a reign of terror of six men who would rape, assault victims during a house robbery.
Blessing Mabeshu, Thomas Ndlovu, Kenneth Maphosa, Talent Nkala, Bongani Masuku and Prince Ngwenya were found guilty on multiple counts that include, among others, rape, murder, attempted murder, house robbery and were collectively sentenced to 40 life terms and 1 793 years’ imprisonment.
The six men were also linked to the murder of a police officer in Soshanguve, Tshwane and also sentenced accordingly.
Despite the highs and lows of his job, Rapakgadi said he takes pride in his work and hardly takes leave or off sick as he works to leave no stone unturned in bringing justice for women, children and vulnerable groups.
