The woman pleaded not guilty, despite admitting in court that she helped her daughter enter the sex trade.
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A Gauteng mother facing 72 charges, including rape, human trafficking, kidnapping, child abuse, and the creation of child pornography, is currently on trial in the Gauteng High Court for pimping out her two minor daughters and selling one of them to a lawyer.
The 38-year-old woman, whose name is withheld to protect her children’s identities, has pleaded not guilty to the charges, despite admitting in court that she helped her then-13-year-old daughter enter the sex trade.
During testimony on Wednesday, the accused described an environment where sex work was normalised within the family, stating she felt no shame in using the profession to provide for her children.
Clutching a Bible while testifying, which she claimed her eldest daughter had requested following the arrest, the mother recounted advertising on adult websites and arranging client bookings.
She admitted that she and her daughter sometimes accepted appointments together as a “mother-and-daughter” package when business was slow, and acknowledged selling videos of the minor to clients for R300, referring to them as “sexualised material.”
Mother’s defence
The accused defended that she did not understand the law because she had started sex work herself at age 13.
She also argued that after being evicted by a boyfriend, the family became homeless, prompting her eldest daughter to volunteer to work for their survival.
She maintained that the teenager had joined the industry of her own accord, actively seeking her own clients and advertisements while behaving “more like an adult than a child.”
Daughter’s accounts don’t match her mother’s
However, this version of events directly contradicts earlier testimony from the minor.
The girl previously testified that her mother forced her into sex work using threats of violence and the withholding of contact with her siblings, and alleged that her mother kept the client payments to buy drugs.
While the accused admitted to sending angry WhatsApp messages containing threats, she denied physically threatening the child and insisted the money was spent on food, rent, and clothing.
She also rejected the assertion that her daughter had been raped by every client at the guesthouses where they operated, denying that all encounters were non-consensual.
When pressed on the volume of clients, the mother accepted that her daughter had seen multiple men, explaining that bookings were managed through a single work phone used by regulars.
She confirmed that at least one joint booking occurred after the daughter was already active in the trade.
The trial continues as the court evaluates the extensive evidence and conflicting testimonies.
Lawyer’s attempt to dismiss charges against him fails
Carel Schoeman, the lawyer accused of buying and repeatedly raping the eldest daughter, tried to get the case thrown out before the mother even took the stand to defend herself.
He filed a discharge application under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which asks a judge to return a not-guilty verdict as soon as the State finishes presenting its evidence.
His legal team argued the State failed to provide any proof for certain charges, that other charges lacked objective evidence, and that Schoeman genuinely did not know the child’s real age, meaning he was unaware his actions were wrong.
Judge Rian Strydom turned down the request.
He explained that evidence exists that could reasonably lead to a conviction, so he could not declare there was no case against Schoeman.
The judge also noted that Schoeman’s personal mindset or belief about the child’s age must be proven through evidence presented in court, not just claimed.
Schoeman had originally pleaded not guilty to 26 counts at the start of the trial.
The charges included rape, human trafficking, kidnapping, sexual exploitation of children, and child abuse.
In explaining his plea, he admitted arranging bookings with the child but said she appeared on an adult website as a 19-year-old woman.
He insisted he had no reason to suspect she was actually younger than the age listed on her profile.
