Human trafficking trial regarding baby trade, postponed
The trial of a Mozambican woman alleged to have bought and sold babies postponed.
NELSPRUIT – The trial of a Mozambican woman accused of buying and selling babies, has once again been postponed. Ms Eliza Zefaro Gwambe (44) appeared in the Nelspruit Regional Court on Monday on charges of human trafficking.
Prosecutor Ms Elise du Plessis had to request another postponement as Gwambe’s defence attorney from Legal Aid, Mr Aggrey Machubeni, disappeared before the trial was set to begin. Du Plessis said she was going to report the matter to his superior.
Besides the defence attorney failing to appear, unforeseen circumstances delayed two witnesses who were also supposed to testify. Taxi owner Mr Armando Danyisa was held up on the N4 from Mozambique, due to an accident, while another witness, Ms Helen Joseph Langa’s husband died over the weekend.
A social worker who cannot be identified due to the ongoing investigation, told Lowvelder that Gwambe had apparently bought babies for R2 000 and sold them for R300 000.
One of the victims told the social worker that the accused had bragged about this.
Two government officials from the Mozambique Attorney General’s office were present in court.
She was arrested in December 2011. She was found in a taxi heading to Johannesburg with a baby whom she claimed was hers, said Mpumalanga police spokesman Col Leonard Hlathi.
When the baby didn’t want to drink milk from Gwambe, her co-passengers became suspicious. They confronted her and reported the matter to police. Hlathi said it later emerged that she had supposedly also stolen a four-year-old boy and placed him with her neighbours in Johannesburg.
Gwambe remains in custody. The trial has now been set for December 11.
The United Nations’ latest report on human-trafficked babies shows that during 2004 and 2012, the number of international adoptions of children from Africa has increased by nearly 400 per cent.
In total, the number who were “adopted” from Africa by parents in other countries during the eight years was more 41 000. Reported prices paid to “agencies””in Africa are from US$10 000 to $30 000.
