Johannesburg - Six members of an alleged child porn syndicate, including two teachers and a retired principal, have appeared in various South African courts, police said on Wednesday.
“They appeared on different days and the last case was heard on Monday,” spokesman Lt-Gen Solomon Makgale said.
As far as he was aware, none of the men had pleaded yet.
Police had followed up on a tip-off from Interpol last Thursday and arrested six men in four provinces for possession of child pornography.
The accused were arrested in Lichtenburg, Bloemfontein, White River, Douglasdale, Florida, and Potchefstroom.
Makgale said a lawyer, a dermatologist, and a businessman were also among the six.
“They are all suspected to have been involved in an international child pornography syndicate,” said Makgale.
Their cases were postponed in court and they would appear separately on different dates in the next two months.
Makgale said police were investigating whether the six were involved in distribution and manufacturing of child pornography, and if they were linked to an international syndicate.
At the weekend, police raided several homes in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Free State.
Among the items seized were 672 dvds, 22 memory sticks, eight laptops, two computer tablets, 39 external hard drives, and 25
books containing child porn.
The Times reported the case had links to Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Western Europe, and Australasia.
It reported that children as young as five were believed to have been groomed to have sex with each other and adults. The images were believed to have been generated overseas, and local police - with the help of their international counterparts - were investigating whether South African children were involved.
Police overseas were also investigating if any of the children were murdered.
Sapa