Five people have appeared in court for allegedly selling a teen for sex, and a doctor is set to be arrested next.
|||Cape Town - A well-known doctor is allegedly involved in a child sex ring first exposed by the Daily Voice.
And five people have now been arrested for selling a 13-year-old Atlantis girl for sex – including her own mother and stepfather.
The shocking revelation emerged as the girl’s mother, stepfather and three others appeared in court on Monday charged in connection with the child sex ring.
Three other women were charged with child trafficking at the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
The accused cannot be named to protect the identity of the abused child.
It also emerged on Monday that cops are expected to make more arrests soon – including people from as far as Mossel Bay.
And in a shocking twist, it has emerged that a Cape Town doctor is also allegedly part of the paedophile ring.
The Daily Voice has learned that police are preparing to arrest the doctor – who works at one of the city’s top public hospitals – soon.
Police did not want to reveal more details about the doctor as they fear he could flee the country.
Lotrict, Fortuin and Muller have allegedly confessed to police to selling the young girl to the doctor.
The Daily Voice first exposed the child sex ring last month.
It is alleged the teenage girl’s mother sold her to men, including her stepdad, for sex – sometimes for as little as R20.
The stepfather is accused of raping her, while the women have been charged with selling the girl to men for sex.
The mother was arrested four weeks ago, about a week after the girl told a friend and teacher about her ordeal.
Last week, Table View police arrested the man and three women in quick succession.
The child said the men would have sex with her in bushes outside Atlantis, and sometimes her mother would watch.
The mom was meant to apply for bail on Monday, but due to the other arrests, her bail hearing was put on hold.
Her lawyer Chantall Gillon tried to argue that her bail hearing was an urgent matter.
But Magistrate Zwelindumile Sogwagna said he wanted to try all the accused simultaneously.
“We must deal with all accused as one matter and not start running around,” he said.
The court also heard that the police would be making more arrests “in the next few days”.
“We are very close to arresting three people in Mossel Bay for their involvement in the sex ring,” the investigating officer told State Prosecutor Vusi Tshabalala.
As the number of arrests grows, Atlantis Ward Councillor Barbara Rass said she’s shocked at the reach of the sex ring.
After her mother’s arrest, the teen was placed in Rass’s care. The girl has since been taken away by the Department of Social Development.
“I didn’t think this sex ring stretched as far as Mossel Bay,” Rass said. “I’m glad that other children won’t fall prey to unscrupulous people.”
*This article was published in the Daily Voice