Johannesburg – A KwaZulu-Natal man has appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court for circulating pornographic images that had the superimposed faces of President Cyril Ramaphosa, Bheki Cele and his wife on them.
Thabiso Scebi Nene, 34, was arrested on Sunday by the Hawks following an investigation into the images, which started circulating online at the beginning of May.
He not only distributed the images to the public on social media platforms but also sent them to police officers.
The Hawks traced the images and arrested Nene in Azalea, Pietermaritzburg, as well as recovering the device that was allegedly used, SIM cards, and a multitude of pornographic images found on the device.
Nene appeared briefly in the magistrate’s court, stone-faced and clad in a woollen green hoodie, as he stood in the dock to face charges of contravening the Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020.
His legal counsel explained to the court that they had received instructions and explained to Nene the penalty for the crime committed.
The court was also told that he had no previous convictions, pending cases, or warrants issued for his arrest.
Following that, the court was requested to transfer the matter back to the Pietermaritzburg Central Magistrate’s Court for the next appearance.
Due to administrative issues, a request was made for Nene to be detained in the interim at the Moot police station until his next appearance.
The matter was transferred back to Pietermaritzburg and postponed to May 30.
The Star