Scebi Thabiso Nene (37) has been convicted and sentenced for multiple contraventions of the Cybercrimes Act.
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The man is reported to have downloaded images of President Cyril Ramaphosa and other high-profile individuals, manipulated them in pornographic content, and shared them on social media. He appeared in the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court and was convicted for eight years.
Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo said Nene downloaded images of high-profile individuals, including president Cyril Ramaphosa, former Minister of SAPS Bheki Cele and his spouse, and a former National Commissioner of the South African Police Service and manipulated these images by superimposing their faces onto pornographic content and subsequently distributed the altered images via WhatsApp and official Presidency email channels. The matter was reported to the SAPS and a case docket was handed over to the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team in Gauteng for investigation.
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Authorities said Nene was traced and arrested in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. “He initially appeared in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court, after which the case was transferred to the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court”. He received five years direct imprisonment for counts 1 to 67 (Cyber Forgery) and three years direct imprisonment for counts 68 to 254 (Cyber Uttering and Disclosure of Intimate Data). “The court ruled that the sentences will run concurrently, resulting in an effective five-year direct imprisonment term,” SAPS said.
