As South Africa marks the start of Child Protection Week, which runs from 29 May to 5 June, an alarming report from a former Phoenix FCS detective has revealed how vulnerable children are to being sexually abused and lured into composing illegal videos and images of a sexual nature which is then distributed and shared on the internet by perpetrators.
In an exclusive interview with the Phoenix Tabloid, Captain Kessie Gounder who was one of four detectives in KwaZulu-Natal tasked with investigating the dark world of paedophilia and child pornography, said when he began working in FCS Serial and Electronic Crimes Investigation (SECI), in 2015, the four-man unit was able to secure many convictions ranging from child rapes, molestation as well as and the making and distribution of child pornography.
Gounder said it was important for people to understand what child pornography meant and penalties that this criminal activity carry. He said: “According to the South African law, child pornography is any image, however created or any description of a person, real or simulated, who is depicted, made to appear, look like, represented or described as being under the age of 18 – engaged in sexual conduct, participating or assisting another person to participate in sexual conduct. Child pornography is showing or describing the body, or parts of the body, of the minor child in a manner that amounts to sexual exploitation or in such a manner that is capable of being used for the purpose of sexual exploitation.”
Captain Gounder said that in the creation of child pornography, an innocent child is either raped or sexually assaulted and therefore has to be rooted out completely. The former head of the SECI unit revealed that at one stage they had 15 pending child porn cases at various courts in the province, making it the highest number of child porn cases KZN had seen.
“People do not just come across information, images, videos of child pornography, they look for it, to find it. No one ever comes across these accidentally as they say. If you Google child pornography, you can’t find it anywhere unless you are really looking for it. Many people access these sites and think there are no consequences involved. It’s a serious offence to access, download, distribute or create child pornography, which can all land you in jail with a hefty sentence. Some offenders have tried using Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and were still traced, arrested and convicted for charges. As soon as you access a site, regardless if you are using special software to hide your IP address, you are bound to get caught. The sentences varies depending on the charges,” said Cpt Gounder.
He said the unit has worked with other countries, relying on information passed on through their international counterparts, which is then followed up and investigated by the officers. “There is always new information coming through from social networks like Facebook, Homeland Security and the International Police Organisation (Interpol) on paedophiles in KwaZulu-Natal. We previously had information that came to us via the British Commission about a father that was chatting on Facebook about him having a sexual relationship with his daughter, we were able to trace the father in Margate and charged him accordingly.”
“There are also many individuals that access sites and pretend to be certain people but share child pornography. Other countries have agents who conduct online proactive policing relating to child pornography on a regular basis so when South African’s access illegal sites and share illegal content, information gets relayed over to us and we track them down. We once had a case after receiving information from Homeland Security regarding a man who was sexually assaulting a six-year-old child who lived about 100 meters away from him. He was also sharing child pornography images and videos and received two life sentences for rape and an added 10 years for porn. In another case, a man was convicted for possession of 19 000 images of child porn while a father was sentenced to 10 years for the possession of more than 200 images of child pornography and for sexually assaulting his five-year-old daughter,” said Cpt Gounder.
Over a period of five years of difficult and hard-work, Gounder confirmed that the unit secured over 30 convictions from various places in the province including Phoenix, Durban Central, Greenwood Park, Pinetown, Hillcrest, Verulam, uMbilo, Margate and many other areas in the south, north and west of Durban.
In March 2021, a Verulam offender was given nine life terms for using his 10-year-old step daughter as a sex slave after raping the minor for more than 900 times over a period of five years. The victim was used to create child pornography, repeatedly raped and forced to perform sex acts. The man was give a 173-year prison sentence after being found guilty of 56 counts relating to rape, sexual grooming, sexual abuse, human trafficking, and the distribution of child pornography. The matter was investigated by Phoenix FCS.
Captain Louise Naidoo of SAPS Phoenix said she recently spoke to a Grade R learner who revealed shocking information about his own mother. She said: “The small boy revealed to me that his mother used to make him watch porn videos. Fortunately the boy was not sexually abused but after these incidents but he has been acting out at school.”
Cpt Naidoo said the child now resides with his grandmother and has been referred to counselling. She reminded residents that “it is an offence for children to be allowed to watch pornography”.
“Earlier this month, the Verulam Regional Court also sentenced a 46-year-old man to life and five years imprisonment for the rape and attempted murder of a minor child. The man, who is HIV positive and aware of his status raped the child on several occasions and threatened to kill her if she told anyone. The matter was reported to the police and a case was opened after the child’s grandmother walked in on the man while he was raping the child,” said Cpt Naidoo.
Statistics show that every 20 minutes a child is sexually abused in South Africa according to reported cases. The Bhambayi Project, which is focused on transforming the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children in the Bhambayi and Inanda areas, which borders Phoenix, said that child rape is South Africa’s hidden pandemic that urgently needs to be addressed.
The non-profit organisation called on all South Africans to take action in joining the fight to protect vulnerable children against abuse, violence, neglect and exploitation.
Bhambayi Project Founder and CEO, Mandy Pearson said: “The sad reality is more like every 2 minutes, as children stay silent out of fear and shame, both girls and boys form part of the horrifying statistics, with victims as young as three years old and younger reported. In journeying with the over 230 children we support, we have come into contact with an alarming number of child rape cases. We have discovered that it is virtually impossible to get rapists arrested. Even if they are arrested, in our experience, they are often released on bail within one month of arrest. There are rapists who are sport coaches, drivers of school transport and many others out on bail, continuing to interact with children. If they rape again, the chances of re-arrest are slim.”
She said: “Our interaction with the system paints a sobering picture that rapists are more protected than our children. This Child Protection Week, the Bhambayi Project, in partnership with local community leaders, members and children will be marching from Bhambayi, starting at the park near the Gandhi Memorial Settlement to the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court, where a petition will be handed over to leadership in both the justice system and the SAPS at the Ntuzuma Magistrates Court on 2 June. In consultation with leaders in both the police and the justice system, we have arrived at 7 basic demands to help protect our children and to ensure the voice of the child is heard.”
For help or report child abuse contact Phoenix SAPS on 031 508 2300 or Phoenix Child Welfare on 031 500 3671.
