Tourists at game farms linked to child porn case
Local game lodges, international paedophile tourists, alleged to be all linked to an arrest of a man in KZN on child pornographic charges.
NELSPRUIT – A man that is alleged to have worked as a manager at various game lodges across the country, including the Lowveld, is also being charged with the possession of child pornography.
The suspect (59) allegedly “pimped” children to visiting guests before he was apprehended by Brighton Beach SAP in KwaZulu-Natal on May 27. His arrest was thanks to information received from a neighbour with whom he shared a wireless internet connection (Wifi).
National police spokesman Lt Gen Solomon Makgale confirmed the case was not linked to the national and international child pornography investigation which implicated a local primary school principal and is alleged to have 50 more suspects.
According to the police, the neighbour was perusing through the shared documents folder when she came across the pornographic images. She took screen shots and presented them to the police, which subsequently led to his arrest.
The man’s computer equipment was seized, pending further investigation. Police believe the total number of images stored on his computer runs into hundreds of thousands.
According to a social worker who cannot be identified, the man was alleged to have taken a boy away from his mother when he was eight years old and pretended to be his father. The boy is now 21 years old.
The social worker said the police have alleged that he abused and used the child as bait for other children to be sexually abused. He allegedly also filmed the children. They were reportedly also “hired” by guests who stayed at the lodges he worked at.
The source said the lodges or game farms had not yet been identified but the background in the pornographic pictures did allegedly show some had been taken in the Lowveld indigenous area.
The suspect is out on bail of R5 000 on the condition that he did not contact state witnesses.
The case has been postponed to December 6, pending the outcome of the forensic report. The accused has not been asked to plead, which is why he may not be identified as yet.
