Just weeks after one of Mzansi’s social media “it” couples publicly announced their breakup, a sextape featuring Themba “Grootman” Selahle and Gcinile Twala has surfaced on social media, sparking outrage and suspicion of a classic case of revenge porn.
Revenge porn, under South African law, is a crime under the Cybercrimes Act, carrying sentences of up to three years in prison or a fine. This offense involves the leaking of sexually explicit material without the person’s consent, often as a means of retaliation, typically following breakups.
The distribution of sexually explicit images or videos without consent is a criminal offense. Those who re-share such material could also face legal consequences for “aiding, abetting, inducing, inciting, instigating, instructing, commanding, or procuring to commit an offense” under the Act.
The identity of the person who leaked the video remains unknown, but several social media accounts have reposted it on the platform X.
Legal expert Ahmore Burger-Smidt, head of data privacy at Werksmans Attorneys, describes revenge porn as a form of digital abuse.