Four women among five facing human-trafficking and child-pornography charges - IOL

Five in the dock for human trafficking and child pornography.

One man and four women are expected to apply for bail after appearing in the Mitchells Plain Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, where they face charges of human trafficking and child pornography.

The matter is scheduled to be heard in camera as it involves minors. Weekend Argus cannot identify the accused at this stage.

As the man and his four female co-accused stepped into the dock, some of them became emotional and burst into tears when they saw their families in the public gallery.

It is also understood that some of the accused are relatives.

The State said accused one, the man, was facing a Schedule 6 offence, while accused three and four were facing Schedule 1 offences. It confirmed that certain exhibits, including the charge sheet, had been handed to the court.

The accused are from various parts of the Western Cape including Weltevreden Valley in Mitchells Plain.

The State said all the accused had applied for either legal aid or private counsel. The State further added that the accused would be bringing bail applications. It requested bail information, which would determine whether they had any convictions or pending charges.

The case was postponed to October 14 for bail information and is expected to be heard in camera.

Details of the State’s case have yet to be placed on record.

It was also revealed that one of the female accused claimed she had not received essential items, such as soap, while being held at Pollsmoor Prison. She requested that her relatives, who were present in the public gallery, bring it to her.

Weekend Argus has since approached police to confirm the particulars of the arrests.

On Monday, a similar case was also listed on the Mitchells Plain Magistrates’ Court register. It involved Shannon Manuel, a father facing charges of child grooming and possessing 115 000 images and 20 000 videos as part of an international child-pornography network.

Manuel’s case, which has received extensive media coverage, sent shockwaves through the Western Cape after he was arrested in January 2024. Police had received a tip-off from the United States Department of Homeland Security that he was allegedly part of an international syndicate that groomed, manufactured and distributed child pornography.