DURBAN - A 42-year-old woman accused of selling her 13-year-old daughter and 16-year-old niece for sex to two foreign nationals has been denied bail.
The woman, who cannot be named to protect the identities of the girls, appeared in the Keiskammahoek Magistrate’s Court on Friday. She has been charged with sexual exploitation of a minor while the two Bangladeshis, Tanvir Tirru Rahman (34) and Roime Raju Mohammed (36), are charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and rape.
"They were denied bail because they failed to present exceptional circumstances in their applications for them to be released on bail. Rahman and Mohammed were also seen as flight risks as they don’t have family ties, assets or occupational ties in Keiskammahoek," said NPA spokesperson in the Eastern Cape, Anelisa Ngcakani.
She said the mother was also seen as someone who might intimidate and influence witnesses and complainants, as one of the complainants is her daughter.
Ngcakani said the woman allegedly sold for sex her daughter and her boyfriend's niece to Rahman and Mohammed.
"Mohammed, at the time of the alleged crimes, worked as a welder while Rahman was a sales assistant at a local shop.
It is alleged that these offences happened between February 2019, when the children were 11 and 14 years, until March 2021," she said.
The alleged crimes surfaced when the now 13-year-old girl, who has a mental condition, asked her friends to accompany her to a man she would have sex with in exchange for money. She promised to buy them sweets once she received the money.
Ngcakani said the mother allegedly receive R400 in exchange for each sexual encounter. It is alleged that she would use the money to buy alcohol and drugs for herself and her boyfriend.
The case was postponed to October 14, 2021.
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