Ninth arrest in child porn case

A ninth suspect has been arrested in connection with the alleged rape of children and production of child pornography.

Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini confirmed the arrest on Wednesday of a 31-year-old woman.

He said she was related to the other eight suspects arrested in December, but did not explain how.

She was arrested just after 9am at a Spar in Hammanskraal where she worked, he said.

“A camera was found in her residence, which will be analysed,” he said.

It is believed that she is the daughter of the children’s grandfather, and wife of one of the suspects earlier arrested.

During an earlier bail application of the eight family members, the 36-year-old son-in-law of the grandfather told the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court he had a nine-year-old son and that he and his wife worked at the same Spar.

At the time he claimed: “My wife and I work together. She was not arrested. It is impossible that I could have done these things without her knowing.”

The couple lived on the grandfather’s plot.

The accused are the grandfather, 58, and grandmother, 57, who lived on a plot in Lusthof, north of Pretoria; a 34-year-old man and his 26-year-old wife who resided on a nearby smallholding; the grandfather’s brother, 61, his wife, 43, and his son, 28; and the son-in-law.

It is alleged the family were raping, sexually abusing, grooming and using their own children and grandchildren to produce porn.

This came to light after two children, who were in the grandfather’s foster care, were removed from the family in 2010 and allegedly spilled the beans. All the children were removed and put in places of safety.

The suspects were denied bail earlier in January. They are due to appear in court again on Thursday and it is expected that the 31-year-old woman will appear with them.

Solidarity Helping Hand said in reaction to the latest arrest that this suspect had been a manager at the shop for the past eight years.

It claimed her son was positively identified in alleged pornographic films confiscated by police.

“She was apparently involved in editing and distributing the pornographic material,” the organisation said.

Its statement quoted Dr Danie Langner, executive director of Solidarity Helping Hand, as saying the suspects should be locked up for life.

Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) “demanded” the case be heard in the high court, due to the “shocking details and the high number of rapes allegedly committed by one family”.

The biological and foster children were being assessed and receiving comprehensive psychological therapy and counselling at two well known professional facilities.

From the disclosures by all the children - all describing the same experiences - it was clear that they had been horrifically exploited and that filming and photographs took place, the organisation said. - Pretoria News