‘Sex traffic’ hearing told of locked room
ALLEGED sex trafficking trio Edward, Leandre and Yannick Ayuk’s trial continued in the Western Cape High Court where a victim – who cannot be named – concluded her evidence in chief.
On Tuesday, Acting Judge Alma de Wet, State prosecutor Maria Marshall and defence lawyers Mohamed Sibda and Susanna Kuun were taken to the Brooklyn house where women and an underage girl were allegedly deprived of their freedom of movement.
The house, in Piet Grobbelaar Street, Brooklyn, was the site of an in loco inspection to jog the victimturned-State witness’s memory about the alleged abuse she endured.
She wasn’t herself abused or trafficked by the Ayuks, but gave evidence that she used their premises to entertain her clients.
The trio are being charged with over 40 counts including rape, kidnapping, human trafficking, assault, debt bondage, withholding personal identity documentation, using the services of a trafficking victim and dealing in drugs from 2015 to 2017.
The witness testified that prostitutes who were willing to work for Leandre would be locked inside a back room but were able to climb through a kitchen window when necessary.
Sibda, earlier in the trial, cross-examined a woman police officer who testified the women were indeed locked in the room when they raided the house and arrested the accused.
The police officer testified that when she was at the scene she specifically remembered that the door could not be opened from the inside.
Thus far, evidence regarding how the women were held captive inside the room has been ventilated in court by multiple police officers, including a Hawks (Directorate for Priority Crimes) detective.
It is alleged the Ayuks had six women under their command in 2017 and would trade their victims’ services for drugs. The witness said yesterday she used to visit Leandre at the Brooklyn house because she knew her. She reiterated that she didn’t want to be involved and would take “blue rocks” as motivation to “not be lazy”.
She confirmed the accused statement that Edward obtained clothing and toiletries from Ackermans.