A thorough investigation by local police has led to a Boksburg serial rapist’s conviction and lengthy prison sentences for terrorising unsuspecting women in Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
Twenty-three-year-old Thokozani Jiyane, dubbed as the Boksburg Facebook serial rapist, was handed eight life sentences and a further 223 years in the Johannesburg High Court recently. This was after being convicted of raping 10 women.
Jiyane was found guilty of 17 counts of rape and 10 counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, two counts of kidnapping and assault GBH and three counts of fraud.
The offences were committed from December 2019 to February 2020. The cases were then assigned to the district’s Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offence (FCS) Unit.
Acting on information received from the public, Capt SM Manaka of the district FCS Unit pounced on Jiyane in Angelo informal settlement in March 2020. He was initially charged with three cases and the other charges were subsequently added.
According to provincial police spokesperson Col Noxolo Kweza, Jiyane would lure his victims on Facebook, pretending to be in the filming industry, offering them jobs.
“He promised his victims work in the industry, while others he promised to promote his clothing label. As soon as his targets gave in to his enticements, Jiyane would inbox them on Facebook and WhatsApp and request their photos,” Kweza said.
Kweza explained Jiyane would later arrange a meeting with the victims and request they travel by taxi to Angelo informal settlement. This is where he would ambush them by walking into a secluded bushy area, strangle them before raping and robbing them of their belongings.
“Once they meet up with him, Jiyane would rob his victims of their cellular phones and bank cards and rape them. He also forced some of them to have oral sex with him.”
Jiyane’s victims came from as far as Middelburg, Hammanskraal, KwaMhlanga, Soweto, Vosloorus and Westonaria.
Kweza pointed out that Jiyane was arrested in Delmas, Mpumalanga, in October 2019; however, his case was not placed on the court roll, as the prosecutor then indicated he was not properly linked to the offence and he was released.
“Jiyane then escaped to Boksburg, where he continued with his reign of terror.
“Despite struggles with forensics on the cases, investigating officer Manaka relied mostly on the cyber unit retrieving most of the information from Facebook posts between Jiyane and his victims. This assisted his investigations and ensured he secured convictions.
“The modus operandi in all the cases was the same. Jiyane was positively identified by six of the victims during an identity parade,” explained Kweza.
Diligent efforts
In an exclusive interview with the Advertiser, Manaka said in all the previous convictions he secured since he joined the FCS Unit, this is the longest prison sentence to be served in all the cases he cracked.
“I feel great that the perpetrator was captured and is now handed very long sentences, thanks to community members who shared vital information that helped us to track him down,” said Manaka.
Manaka shared it is of utmost importance to keep in touch with the victims if you want to crack a case.
“I’ve been doing that for many years and it helped me a lot in solving many cases because victims and members of the public normally direct you when you go astray.
“I always maintain frequent communication with victims. They advise and remind you about things you might have overlooked or forgotten to scrutinise.”
Gauteng acting provincial commissioner Maj-Gen Tommy Mthombeni commended the investigating team for the work well done.
“This shows the commitment the FCS Unit has in ensuring women are protected and crimes against women are investigated fully. The SAPS has prioritised crimes against women and children and has been committed to do everything in its power to ensure those targeting women are brought to book,” said Mthombeni.
Also Read: Alleged Boksburg serial rapist arrested, linked to multiple cases of rape
