A 65-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman were sentenced to life and five-year imprisonment on Thursday by the Lady Frere Regional court for rape and sexually exploitation.
In August 2014 a case of trafficking in persons was transferred from the Queenstown Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit to Hawks after the 51-year-old woman was arrested for giving the 65-year-old man permission to have sex with her then 12-year-old daughter in exchange for an undisclosed amount. The lady’s motive for selling off her child was allegedly to satisfy her alcohol addiction.
It transpired during the investigations that the sexual exploitation of the minor began approximately towards the end of 2012 when the girl child was 10-years-old.
The National Head for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Lieutenant General Mthandazo Ntlemeza welcomed the ruling adding that although the harsh sentence will never take away the trauma the girl went through.
Preying on, coercing, and forcing an innocent child into a world of sex is simply despicable and will not be tolerated. I am very thrilled by the cooperation we received from the Queenstown Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit. This is an example of local police and the Hawks working together to make our community safer. I am also extremely happy that the justice system is taking a stance against the scourge of child trafficking in South Africa’, he concluded.
Source: Government of South Africa