Facebook serial rapist found guilty of attacking, robbing victims

DUBBED the Facebook serial rapist, the young Mamelodi East man befriended mostly teenagers on the social media platform, and later communicated with them via WhatsApp.

He would then meet them before raping and robbing them.

The clean-shaven and well-kept Sedzani Muthuhadini Ndou has admitted to his deeds. He was barely 18 when he unleashed a reign of terror among young women, especially in Mamelodi.

Ndou was yesterday convicted in the Pretoria High Court on 16 charges, ranging from mostly rape charges to robbery.

He raped five women over a three-month period in 2016 before being nabbed.

His arrest came about after a friend of one of the teenagers lured him into a trap, befriending him on Facebook. The two made arrangements to meet, but she took the police along.

Although Ndou was linked via DNA to only three of the victims, aged 15 to 21, he was yesterday ready to admit to all the charges.

It was said in court that his modus operandi left no doubt he was the perpetrator in all the cases.

Ndou opened a fake Facebook account with the picture of an unknown young man, Junior, and pretended to be him.

He and his victims chatted for some time on Facebook and exchanged pictures. He also chatted to his victims on WhatsApp. Ndou usually arranged to meet the young women at a Spar supermarket in Mamelodi. He would introduce himself as Mpho, Junior’s cousin, and tell them Junior was busy and had sent him to take them to his home.

Ndou walked his victims through bushes to “Junior’s house” when he would suddenly attack them. He usually forced them to perform sexual acts on him, before raping them.

He admitted that afterwards, he threatened to beat them if they did not give him their belongings. He mostly robbed them of cash and cellphones.

“I knew my actions were wrong and punishable, but I still intended to rape and rob my victims,” he said in his plea.

Ndou was happy to plead guilty to all the charges although he was advised by his advocate that he could face life in jail.

On May 2, a social worker will present a report on Ndou to court, to be used for sentencing.