Durban -
Seven women and a man appeared in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Monday charged with running a brothel from a Glenwood home.
Veronica Naidoo, Ruwayda Ismael, Maria Nhlapo, Jackson Myeni, Thonalele Mpofana, Thembile Bhengu, Hegashnie Soobramoney and Kogisperie Pillay have been charged with keeping the brothel.
The eight were arrested after a provincial police task team carried out a daylight raid at the Campbell Road residence on Thursday last week.
Police allege the women were prostitutes.
It is understood that the property was being rented and the owner, David Draper, told the Sunday Tribune that he had no knowledge of the suspected brothel and had believed the property was being used as a lodge.
The arrests were made after a “buy and bust” when two policemen posed as clients and went to the house and asked for sexual services.
Once money was handed over, police made the arrests.
Attorney Jothi Chellan, who was representing all the accused, told the court that none of her clients had pending cases or previous convictions.
She also said that Ismael had been released on a warning before her court appearance on Monday.
In their affidavits in support of their bail applications, the seven women said they were employed as “workers” and earned R500 a week.
They also gave the Campbell Road residence as their residential address and all said they would plead not guilty to the charge against them.
In his affidavit, Myeni, of Sydenham, said he worked as a “gate attendant” at the property and had been working for a week before his arrest.
Chellan asked for Myeni, Mpofana and Bhengu to be released on warning and said Naidoo, Soobramoney and Pillay could only afford to pay R500 for bail.
She said during the raid, police seized money, including some of her clients’ personal funds.
Bail was set at R1 000 each for the seven accused, but it was unclear whether any had the funds to pay it.
The case was adjourned to March 3 for police to complete statements.
The Mercury