Mozambican Elizabeth Gwambe guilty of human trafficking: admits to buying a baby.
by Tereasa Ferrari 13 Dec NELSPRUIT – Two human-trafficking cases merged when it was revealed that both accused had bought their victims from the same woman.
This was revealed during the sentencing of Elizabeth Gwambe (42) who appeared in the regional court on Wednesday on a charge of child trafficking.
Gwambe pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 15 years -- after which she would be deported back to Mozambique.
In her statement to the court she revealed she had bought the baby boy for R2,000 from Ms Juliet Chauke in Maputo.
Chauke is the same woman who is wanted in the case against Mr Lloyd Mabuza and his co-accused Ms Violet Chauke, according to investigating officers.
-- (The SAPS) had rescued five children aged 10 to 16 from a plantation outside Sabie near Rhenosterhoek.
Police Col Leonard Hlathi said the SAPS allegedly found the children locked up in a compound house. One of the victims, a 15-year old girl, had apparently managed to escape and ran five kilometres to the main road in rough forest terrain where a woman found her and took her to the police station. She apparently then told police about the other children and this led to the raid and arrests in November 2012.
The trial against Mabuza and Violet, which is been held in Graskop, will continue on January 12. --
---- During the sentencing of Gwambe, magistrate Mr Willie Wilkens said he did not believe that she had bought the baby for herself as she did not even have a nappy on her when she was transporting the boy to South Africa.
IRATE PASSENGERS IN TAXI HEADED FOR JOHANNESBURG BECAME SUSPICIOUS OF GWAMBE WITH THE BABY:
Gwambe was arrested on December 29, 2011, when irate passengers in a taxi headed for Johannesburg became suspicious about a crying baby the woman had claimed was her own.
Wilkens added that kidnappings of children had escalated, sometimes it was for ransom and one child was even killed when his parents could not pay the money. “There are also kids in Tonga who are kidnapped for body parts as muti – our courts hear how they inhumanely tortured when they remove the body parts as the witch doctors want them kept alive to help in their witchcraft.”
He added that despite Gwambe also being a traditional healer, he hoped she had not had that intention for the child. “The offence was carefully planned and the control at the border leaves much to be said.”
He stated it was thanks to the community that she was brought to book. He concluded by stating that young children had the right to play without being abducted by people such as Gwambe.
Child Welfare SA White River operations manager Mr Johan Bosch who attended the trial, said they were satisfied that justice had prevailed in the regional court. “The sentence is justified taking into account the damage that was done to the baby who was separated from his mother at such a tender age. We are also grateful for the fact that the Children’s Act makes provision for cases of child trafficking as the Human Trafficking Act only came into operation after the offence was conducted.
“We hope that this sentence will deter people from trafficking children for whatever purpose. We further hope that the child will be reunited with his mother as soon as possible. As Wilkens rightfully said, any kid should be able to play anywhere without the fear or possibility of being trafficked or kidnapped!”
http://lowvelder.co.za/41491/one-woman-behind-two-cases-of-human-trafficking/
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