A teenager was allegedly raped in front of her one-year-old baby in Standerton. Image: Pixabay/Firmbee.
Another Thabo Bester? ‘Facebook rapist’ records and threatens to circulate video
An alleged rapist from Standerton reportedly lured his victim using Facebook and is said to have recorded the incident.
A teenager was allegedly raped in front of her one-year-old baby in Standerton. Image: Pixabay/Firmbee.
Another Thabo Bester? Police have arrested another alleged Facebook rapist, Tshepo Nxumalo, who reportedly lured his teenage victim via the social media platform and allegedly raped her in the mountain in Standerton.
The incident reportedly occurred on Saturday, 25 March 2023; the suspect was arrested on Tuesday, 28 March 2023.
ANOTHER ALLEGED ‘FACEBOOK RAPIST’ SURFACES
According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the victim and the 20-year-old suspect met via the social media platform Facebook.
The two are said to have had some conversation which led to their meeting next to a mountain in Standerton on Saturday, 25 March 2023.
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SAPS spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said the victim, 20, reportedly went along with her one-year-old child. Upon arrival, the alleged Facebook rapist allegedly convinced the teenage girl that he needed to fetch her brother to the mountain top. They all went together, and on their arrival, it is alleged that he raped her in front of her child while recording a video using his cell phone.
Mohlala said the girl was allegedly raped by the man for the second time before threatening to circulate the recordings he made via social media platforms should the lady decide to report the incident.
Thereafter the suspect fled the scene, and the matter was eventually reported to the police in Standerton, and a case was opened.
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“The case docket was immediately assigned to the Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS) in Standerton for investigation. The investigation team immediately began their work in pursuit of the suspect. Their hard work soon paid off as they cornered the suspect after spotting him in Standerton on Tuesday,” the spokesperson said.
SUSPECT IS TO REMAIN IN CUSTODY
The alleged Facebook rapist appeared at the Standerton Magistrate’s Court on charges of two counts of rape and common assault. The matter was postponed to 13 April 2023 for a formal bail application while the suspect remains in custody.
The SAPS management has used the incident to warn the public when using social media platforms to do it cautiously to prevent a situation that might place their lives at risk.
Parents have also been encouraged to monitor their children to curb similar incidents.
