Social Media Rapist Victor Mokoena Gets 4 Life Terms for Raping Women
- Victor Mokoena, 26, appeared before the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg after a years-long series of attacks on women he met online
- Mokoena posed as a photographer and promoter to lure four victims to secluded locations between March 2021 and October 2024
- South Africans on social media drew comparisons to convicted rapist Thabo Bester after the NPA announced the outcome
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Source: UGC
GAUTENG — A 26-year-old Johannesburg man has been sentenced to four life terms after using Facebook and Instagram to lure women he then sexually assaulted, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) announced on 13 August 2026.
According to the NPA, the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Johannesburg handed down the sentence against Victor Mokoena, who was also convicted of attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and pointing an object resembling a firearm. Additional sentences of 15 years for robbery, two years for assault, and one year for the firearm-related conviction were imposed, all running concurrently with the life terms.
How Mokoena targeted his victims
Operating between March 2021 and October 2024, Mokoena presented himself online as a photographer and promoter, using the promise of modelling and photoshoot opportunities to gain the trust of women. Once he had drawn victims to secluded locations, he would strangle them and delete evidence from their mobile phones in an attempt to cover his tracks. The cases were linked through digital evidence gathered by Sergeant Nedombeloni, whose investigative work proved central to building the prosecution's case. State Advocate Hope Zwane led the matter in court.
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Social media users react to the sentence
News of the sentencing spread rapidly online, with many South Africans drawing parallels to Thabo Bester, the convicted rapist and murderer who also exploited social media to identify and approach victims and escaped from incarceration years prior.
@Cybucyso wrote:
"Last I heard something like this, a few years later I knew of a Nandipha Magudumane."
@nateofeos said:
"O tla be a le busy ko Woolworths in a few years, recruit ya, Thabo Bester (translated as "He'll be busy at Woolworth's next year as Thabo Bester's recruit)😒"
@bonollynolly shared a personal connection to the case:
"Thank you. He lives in my kasi. I almost became his victim."
@lochdeeper expressed alarm at the offender's age:
"Imagine a 26-year-old... Our children are not safe."
@_KaNyambose simply wrote:
"This is really scary yeses 💔"
Attorney gets life for murder of girlfriend
In a related article, Briefly News reported on the recent conviction of Thubelihle Sbonakaliso Mpisi, a Johannesburg attorney, who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, Mahlako Malebo Rabalao. The case garnered significant attention due to the tragic circumstances surrounding Rabalao's death, as her charred remains were discovered inside her burnt vehicle near her home.
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Source: Briefly News
