A human trafficking survivor’s ordeal started when she was approached by a woman in May 2012 who asked her if she was interested in getting married to a young man.
Cape Town - The Cape Town Regional Court has sentenced convicted child trafficker, Ayanda Vellem, to life in prison for trafficking a young girl from the Eastern Cape and forcing her to live as his wife.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, said the ordeal of the Ngqamakhwe girl began when she was approached by a woman in May 2012, who asked her if she was interested in marrying a young man.
Ntabazalila said at the time, the victim was 16 years old and attending primary school.
“She inquired how old the man was, and the woman told her that he was 25 years old.
“It was agreed that when she left with the woman, some people would inform her grandmother of the marriage.
“Vellem sent money to the woman to traffic the girl to Queenstown.
“In Queenstown, she met another woman and the sister of the woman who earlier approached her about being married to a man.
“The following day she was dressed in makoti clothes, indicating that she was married but at the time she had not met the man she was marrying.”
Vellem arrived two weeks later, but after seeing him, the teen said she wanted to go home.
She later saw Vellem’s ID and discovered he was born in 1967 and was 45 years old, the same age as her mother.
“Vellem called her into the bedroom, instructed her to take off her clothes and raped her.
“She was afraid of him and told him that she was 16 and did not like what he was doing but he continued to rape her. She cried,” Ntabazalila said.
The girl was then asked to pack her clothes as she was going to Cape Town with the accused.
In Cape Town, she was taken to the man’s sister in Khayelitsha where she stayed while the accused stayed in Dunoon.
Ntabazalila said Vellem would visit the Khayelitsha property on weekends and rape the teen.
The young girl then suggested they move to Dunoon, because she knew he would be drunk and she would be able to seek out a relative she knew lived in the Western Cape.
The teen was then put in contact with her uncle who agreed to meet with her and a criminal case was subsequently opened.
State prosecutor, Ruwayda Badrudeen, called six witnesses.
According to the Victim Impact Assessment, the girl recounted how she had been left traumatised and no longer trusted men.
The teen explained she was happy he did not impregnate her, saying the child would have served as a constant reminder of her trauma.
Vellem was sentenced to life imprisonment for trafficking in persons for sexual purposes; nine months imprisonment for failure to comply with the requirements of a valid customary marriage; life imprisonment for rape; and six months imprisonment for assault.
The court also ordered his name be entered into the National Register of Sex Offenders and the National Child Protection Register. It further declared him unfit to possess a firearm.
Caroline Peters of the Callas Foundation said the welcome the sentence.
"We are particularly grateful that the court has reinforced that no cultural practice, such as ukutwala, can be used to justify actions that violate consent and human rights. This outcome highlights the importance of upholding the principles of dignity, freedom, and equality enshrined in our Constitution."
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