Life for woman who ‘sold’ daughter, 12, for sex

A 51-YEAR-old woman was sentenced to life and five years imprisonment last Thursday in the Cacadu Regional Court for rape and sexual exploitation after she allowed a 65-year-old man to have sexual relations with her daughter, 12.

Hawks provincial spokesman Captain Anelisa Feni said a case of human trafficking was opened in August 2014, with the Komani Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit, after it was found that the woman allegedly “gave” her daughter to the elderly man for an undisclosed amount of money. “The lady’s motive for selling off her child was allegedly to satisfy her alcohol addiction. It transpired during the investigations that the sexual exploitation of the minor began approximately towards the end of 2012 when the girl child was 10,” Feni said.

The national head for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Lieutenant-General Mthandazo Ntlemeza, welcomed the ruling, adding that the sentence would not reduce the child’s trauma.

“Preying on, coercing, and forcing an innocent child into a world of sex is simply despicable and will not be tolerated. I am thrilled by the cooperation we received from the Komani FCS unit. This is an example of local police and the Hawks working together to make our community safer.” He said he was happy the justice system was taking a stance against child trafficking.