Pretoria – Two individuals believed to be involved in sexual grooming, as well as the manufacturing and distribution of child pornography, have been arrested in a joint operation conducted by the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the US Department of Homeland Security.
In a statement released on Sunday, (15 December 2024), SAPS confirmed that the collaboration with US law enforcement aided in the tracking and apprehension of the two suspects.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda van Wyk reported that the suspects were taken into custody for sexual grooming, as well as for the possession, downloading, manufacturing, and distribution of child pornography at various sites across Gauteng.
Lieutenant Colonel Van Wyk noted that the first operation occurred on Thursday, (12 December 2024), when members from the national and Gauteng provincial Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations Unit, along with Forensic Social Work and the FBI, acted on information received through an international tip line.
The investigation led the team to a site in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, where a 49-year-old man was arrested on charges of sexually grooming and raping his girlfriend’s 15-year-old daughter.
“In a follow-up operation on Friday, (13 December 2024), another suspect, a 41-year-old former teacher and school principal from Pretoria, was arrested for exposing minors to adult pornography and for sexually grooming boys aged between 10 and 12,” stated Lieutenant Colonel Van Wyk.
“To date, three victims have been positively identified, and an additional six victims are yet to be located.”
This operation involved a multi-disciplinary team that included members from the national and Gauteng provincial SECI Unit, alongside the Pretoria Central Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences Unit, collaborating with the US Department of Homeland Security.
Lieutenant Colonel Van Wyk explained: “In both cases, the teams seized various electronic devices that are believed to contain images and videos depicting child sexual abuse, commonly known as child pornography.”
Both suspects are expected to appear separately in the Pretoria Central Magistrate’s Court and the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court on Monday, (17 December 2024).
Lieutenant Colonel Van Wyk emphasized that the state will oppose bail in both instances.
