SEDIBENG. – SAPS remains resolute in its efforts to prevent, combat, and investigate crimes committed against children.

Last week, joint operations between the SAPS, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Homeland Security led to the arrest of two suspects for sexual grooming, possession, downloading, manufacturing, and distribution of child pornography in different parts of Gauteng.

In the first operation, on Thursday, December 12, members from the national and Gauteng provincial Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations (SECI) Unit and Forensic Social Work (FSW) together with the FBI acted on information supplied through an international tip line.

The investigation led the team to an address in Vanderbijlpark where they arrested a 49-year-old man who sexually groomed, sexually assaulted, and raped his girlfriend’s 15-year-old daughter.

In another takedown, on Friday, December 13 the team arrested a 41-year-old suspect, a former teacher and school principal in Pretoria on charges of exposing children to adult pornography and sexual grooming of boys between the ages of 10 and 12. Three victims have been positively identified thus far, a further six victims are yet to be traced.

In this operation, the multi-disciplinary team comprised members from the national and Gauteng provincial SECI Unit and the Pretoria Central Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security. In both matters, the teams seized various electronic devices suspected of containing sexual child abuse images and videos, commonly known as child pornography.

Both these suspects are expected to appear before the Pretoria Central Magistrate’s Court and the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court on December 17.