Four people are accused of trafficking girls from Lesotho to South Africa. (fake images)
- Four people appeared before a Lesotho court over allegations that girls were smuggled into South Africa.
- Supposedly, a woman was tasked with finding young girls for her supposed lover.
- They are expected to go to trial soon.
Four people appeared in court on Tuesday over allegations that they lured children from poor families in Lesotho and trafficked them to South Africa, where they were sexually abused.
Sehlomeng Labane, 23, from Lesotho, allegedly lured underage girls to sleep with her “rich” South African boyfriend in June last year, after he told her she was too old.
The groom, Mpho Ramonotsi, 50, of Khapung Butha-Buthe, who lives in Centurion, South Africa, is accused of promising Labane money if he was successful.
Labane apparently told her friend Mamanyesemane Thoabala, 38, from Ha Foso in Lesotho, to help her with the search.
Following police investigation, it was revealed that a man, allegedly Ramonotsi, was seen entering a guest house in Maseru with underage girls.
Ramonotsi, Labane, Nyatso Mokete, 23, and Thoabala appeared before the Maseru Magistrate Court on Tuesday, facing human trafficking charges.
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Appearing before Magistrate Matankiso Nthunya, the four defendants failed to collect the required bail of R50,000.
Itumeleng Monane-Ntsíbane of the Department for the Prevention of Human Trafficking and Migrant Control said in June last year that they received a report that two children had gone missing in Ha Foso, Berea, Lesotho.
Monane-Ntsíbane said:
[Labane] he found three girls whom he encouraged to make a living through sex work with Ramonotsi… Labane went with the girls to meet him at one of the boarding houses where he and the girls, Labane included, had sex with him all night and every M400 was paid [R400] while Labane received M4 000 [R4 000].
It was the state’s case that after this, Labane convinced two of the three girls, who were later reported missing, to go to South Africa to meet Ramotsi once more in August.
He supposedly promised them that with the trip they would pay their school fees and their lives would change for the better.
“It was then that Labane asked Mokete to transport them to Ramonotsi’s house, where they stayed for two nights. After that, the suspect sexually abused them and bought them cheap clothes,” Monane-Ntsíbane said.
Chief Inspector Beleme Moerane, of the Lesotho Mounted Police Service, said the victims are children from poor families.
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