The reign of terror by a man dubbed the "Facebook rapist" has come to end after the Johanessburg High Court sentenced him to eight life sentences and a further 223 years behind bars.
Serial rapist, Thokozani Jiyane, was found guilty of raping 10 women in and around Gauteng between December 2019 and February 2020.
It was revealed in court that Jiyane would use Facebook to lure his victims by offering fake jobs in the film industry.
Once he gained their trust, he would arrange a meeting with them in Angelo informal settlement in Boksburg where he lived.
Jiyane would then ambush the unsuspecting women and force them to go to a bushy area where he would rape them and rob their belongings.
His victims came as far as Middleburg and KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga.
Captain, SM Manaka, says the State struggled with forensics on the cases but it relied heavily on the Cyber unit retrieving Facebook conversations between Jiyane and his victims.
Manaka says this is the evidence that ensured that Jiyane received eight life sentences.
Gauteng Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General DT Mthombeni, has hailed the work done by the investigating team.
"This shows the commitment the SAPS in the form of FCS has in ensuring that women are protected and crimes against women are investigated fully," he said.
