The victims were three South African citizens and a Malawian national who were allegedly held against their will.
A Zimbabwean woman and her Nigerian husband have been arrested for alleged human trafficking and coercing women into online pornography in Tshwane.
According to the City of Tshwane, the Tshwane Metro Police Department’s (TMPD) Tactical Response Team, in collaboration with members of the South African Police Service (Saps), arrested the two suspects on Monday.
“The officers received information and pursued leads regarding a Zimbabwean woman suspected of trafficking young women and coercing them into producing online pornography. The female suspect was successfully traced at a premises in Gezina, Pretoria North,” said senior superintendent Isaac Mahamba.
ALSO READ: Child pornography case: It took 40 days for authorities to download material seized from couple
“The suspect led the officers to a residence in Pretoria North, where they discovered four female victims aged between 18 and 38 years actively engaged in online sexual performances using large screens and recording equipment.”
The victims were three South African citizens and a Malawian national who were allegedly held against their will.
During interviews, the women alleged that their identification documents were being withheld by the female suspect, who claimed to be their employer.
The Zimbabwean woman was immediately arrested.
ALSO READ: Luxury vehicle and R647 000 seized from alleged child pornography couple
Further investigation led officers to a separate address, where her husband, a Nigerian national, was arrested.
Both suspects were formally charged with human trafficking and the forced production of online pornography.
The police have not ruled out the possibility of more arrests as the investigation progresses.
Couple arrested for child pornography
In another incident last week, police arrested a 47-year-old woman and a 48-year-old man in Bloubergstrand, in the Western Cape, for the alleged sexual abuse of their two daughters, aged three and eight.
ALSO READ: 40-year-old stepfather sentenced to 15 years for sexual grooming and child pornography
“The suspects face multiple charges, including the production of child sexual abuse material (commonly referred to as ‘child pornography’), rape, sexual assault and sexual grooming,” said police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda van Wyk.
“The operation was carried out by a multidisciplinary team comprising members of the national and Western Cape Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations Units, officials from the Department of Social Development supported by the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI),” the police said.
Several electronic devices were seized during the arrest.
Police said the investigation remains ongoing.
READ NEXT: EC father sentenced to more than 3 000 years for child pornography and sexual abuse
