- Bonteheuwel residents are frustrated by ongoing postponements in the trial of a local woman accused of selling pornographic images of her daughter.
- The mother is accused of selling the images of her four-year-old daughter on the "dark web".
- The 32-year-old appeared in the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
Another postponement in the case against a Bonteheuwel woman accused of selling child pornography on the dark web, has left community members frustrated with the justice system.
The 32-year-old woman was arrested in July after it emerged that she was allegedly selling naked photographs of her four-year-old daughter and receiving payment via PayPal.
On Wednesday, the accused, who cannot be named to protect the child's identity, appeared in the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s Court. The case has been postponed to 8 December to determine at which level of court the case will be heard.
However, Bonteheuwel ward councillor Angus McKenzie says the latest postponement has frustrated residents.
"It is hugely frustrating for the community. This case has received wide attention, and you would assume that justice would be prioritised. Justice delayed is justice denied, and in this case, it is not only denied to that little girl, but to the whole community," said McKenzie.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi previously told News24 that the woman faced charges of manufacturing child pornography, possession of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, financial gain from child pornography, and rape.
She was arrested when local police and US authorities partnered after the FBI picked up on her online activity. She was then traced via geotagging with an agent from the US homeland security department acting as a buyer.
Bonteheuwel residents previously protested outside the court.
"We appreciate that she will remain behind bars for now, but we have no idea what charges she will face or when the trial will start," McKenzie said.
The case has been postponed until December for a decision on the forum for the trial, confirmed National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila.
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