‘Sextortion’: how Manganyi lured his latest victim

THEY crossed paths on the social media platform Instagram.

And shortly after getting acquainted, 17-year-old John Smith (not this real name) from Cape Town and his new lady friend, Beslin, decided to exchange contact numbers to chat on WhatsApp.

Then, the conversation swiftly moved to an erotic chat, with Smith and Beslin sending each other a number of steamy text messages before exchanging explicit erotic pictures.

Little did Smith know that his new lady friend wasn’t the person she portrayed herself to be.

The person posing as “Beslin”, a 20-year-old active and sports-loving female studying at the University of Johannesburg, was actually 23-yearold “sextortonist” Rivalani “Bruce-Lee” Manganyi.

Shortly after sending a handful of sexually explicit pictures to “Beslin”, Smith was threatened with blackmail.

He was told that all his pictures would be leaked online and posted to all of his social media profiles if he didn’t pay a certain sum of money.

Threatened and scared, Smith immediately agreed to the demands, paying his perpetrator on more than one occasion.

But that wasn’t the end of his nightmare. He was regularly threatened by Manganyi, who demanded more money. Otherwise, the sexually explicit images would be leaked.

Smith turned to the Stellenbosch police for help, a decision that would result in the arrest of Manganyi, who was taken into custody two weeks ago.

Manganyi was arrested on March 30 in Diepkloof, Soweto, in a multidisciplinary operation.

Manganyi was charged and transported to Stellenbosch, where he made his first court appearance last week, and remains in custody.

Royal Investigations, who played an integral part in the arrest of Manganyi, said their intelligence had led them to Diepkloof.

Lead investigator at Royal Investigations, John Alexander, said: “We cannot provide specifics relating to techniques used to identify the suspect. However, we do have the means to track down suspects who would otherwise work under the radar undetected.

“We’ve been at the forefront of numerous such investigations and managed to trace one suspect to Giyani, Limpopo, in October 2021, who was also arrested by our team and Giyani SAPS.

“The suspects are brazen and very difficult to trace if you do not have the dedication to follow every lead.”

Alexander, however, couldn’t comment on whether Manganyi has been linked to other such cases.

“This investigation is still ongoing, and we would not want to jeopardise the hard work and dedication shown by the Stellenbosch detectives and CIG.”

Alexander said Manganyi used the same modus operandi that many extortonists use when trying to con individuals.

“These types of cases have the same hallmark. Criminals use Instagram and Tinder to find their prey. The victim received a message from an individual claiming to be “Beslin”.

“After speaking on Instagram, she asked him for his WhatsApp number and almost immediately started a sexual discussion and sent him a few explicit pictures of “herself”. She convinced him to send some too and the extortion started.”

Over a period of a month, Alexander said Smith paid over around R15 000 to Manganyi. “Mr Manganyi, just like the two others we successfully investigated, all have one common denominator: they are all from Giyani (Limpopo). We received intelligence that young individuals are groomed and taught how to conduct these types of extortion.

“They share the exact same modus operandi which is indistinguishable. They conduct their background on victims, they are relentless and usually very clever and work from the same script.”

He said Smith would have gone through a horrible experience with his perpetrator.

“The victims, in general, slip into some sort of depression. Not only is there a financial loss, but there’s also full-on harassment on a daily basis. He was threatened daily and constantly on edge when he received a message.”

Smith’s ordeal isn’t unique, however. Sex-based extortion is fast becoming rife in South Africa, said Alexander.

“We are getting inquiries on a weekly basis. It’s lucrative, and not many get caught and prosecuted. We want the state to make an example of this suspect. Extortion is a serious crime which could land you in jail for 15 years maximum.”

Alexander has advised individuals to never send any compromising images to avoid being extorted.

“Don’t share compromising images, not to mention minors who are under 18 years of age are opening themselves up for possible child pornography charges. Those who are looking for companionship on social media should initiate an immediate video call to ensure the person is who he/she says they are.”

Meanwhile, Western Cape police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirmed the arrest of Manganyi.

“A case of extortion was opened, and the suspect appeared in the Stellenbosch Magistrate court on April 4,” said Van Wyk.

Dawie Naude, a senior forensic investigator from Sleuth Detectives: South Africa’s Investigative Specialists in Johannesburg, said that he too witnessed a spike in this kind of crime in recent years.

“Over the past six to eight years, since the internet and social media platforms have grown, we are witnessing a rapid increase in extortion and online fraud in general,” he said.

“The internet is a popular place for fraudsters and scamsters who are able to hide, and many of them even advertise goods that they don’t have just to get money.”

He said this even includes pets and dogs and that some even go as far as meeting their victims, just to rob them of their money and other possessions.

Naude warned people to exercise extra caution when they come into contact with people on the internet that they don’t know, particularly those looking for love on social media and online dating sites.

“Lovers often get scammed on social media and in pure ignorance, some willingly exchange private information and images of themselves which could be used to ruin their lives.”

Naude said that while these transactions are consensual, the other person could easily have bad intentions and threaten to release an individual’s personal material online for all their loved ones and colleagues to see.

The senior forensic investigator also said that extortion is difficult to police and solve as suspects could be anywhere in the country and even the world.

“Many cases are closed because the police are unable to get enough evidence.”

He added that in many cases, the police are not always of help to extortion victims because they say that this type of crime is self-inflicted and that they willingly sent the perpetrator the sexually explicit images.

“People should be very wary when they are online because it is so easy to become a victim,” Naude said.

RIVALANI Manganyi