Germiston investigator testifies in human trafficking case
The offences reportedly happened in Ekurhuleni (Boksburg, Heidelberg, Brakpan, Springs) and Villiers (Free State), Amanzimtoti and Ramsgate (KwaZulu-Natal) between mid-2022 and early 2023.
Captain Karin Botha, a forensic social worker with the Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences Investigations Unit (FCS) in Germiston, testified in an ongoing human trafficking trial on November 11 that the two sisters, victims of the case, told her their mother’s actions ruined their lives.
The case is being heard in a High Court sitting in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court, where Heidelberg attorney Carel Schoeman (35) and the girls’ mother (38) face a barrage of charges related to the sexual abuse of the siblings.
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The offences reportedly happened in Ekurhuleni (Boksburg, Heidelberg, Brakpan, Springs) and Villiers (Free State), Amanzimtoti and Ramsgate (KwaZulu-Natal) between mid-2022 and early 2023.
The mother is accused of advertising the sexual services of her daughters, then aged 13 and 11, and prostituting them, while Schoeman is accused of buying the 13-year-old from the mother.
Schoeman (accused two) faces 26 charges and the mother 72 charges. They both recently pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The charges against the pair include rape, sexual abuse of a minor, child trafficking and the pointing of a firearm.
Three witnesses took the stand last week.
Botha assessed both the girls (now 13 and 15) to establish if they would make competent witnesses.
According to Botha, the girls could clearly explain what happened to them, adding they could distinguish between the truth and lies and recognise the consequences of lying.
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She found the two minors competent to testify but said it should be done through an intermediary.
According to Botha, the eldest child told her the sexual abuse by her mother and Schoeman ruined her life.
The younger sister also reportedly told Botha the plans of the mother and Schoeman also ruined her life.
In her testimony, Botha said the mother neglected to send her children, including two other children, aged six and nine, to school.
However, the 15-year-old is now undergoing homeschooling while the 13-year-old was placed in school after much difficulty, allegedly because their mother did not register their births with the Department of Home Affairs.
The youngest has completed Grade Two and the eldest Grade Four.
