Cape Town - This year the Western Cape and the rest of the country saw its fair share of gruesome crimes that left many families reeling.
From kidnappings, child murders to gender-based violence (GBV), news of shocking crimes was aplenty.
One such story was that of a Bonteheuwel mother arrested for allegedly selling pornographic pictures of her child on the dark web.
In a case that could have come straight out of a TV crime series, the 32-year-old mother was arrested in March after she allegedly tried to sell photographs of her naked four-year-old daughter on the dark web.
An agent from Homeland Security pretended to be a buyer and traced her to Bonteheuwel after she allegedly received payments via PayPal.
The mother’s case has since been placed on the roll at the Parow regional court where her trial is expected to take place next year. She faces charges of manufacturing child pornography, possession of child pornography, distribution of child pornography and financial gain from child pornography and rape.
The woman has five other children who have since been placed in the care of relatives. Community members also alleged the woman made sex tapes which she sold to residents.
Former president Jacob Zuma, who left South Africans either cringing or in laughter with his swift dance moves during his presidency, made waves inside correctional services facilities this year when he was sentenced to a 15-month jail term for contempt of court over his refusal to abide by a subpoena to make a further appearance at the Zondo Commission into state capture.
Zuma was imprisoned in July but was hospitalised in August and subsequently released on medical parole.
Earlier this month, the Gauteng high court ruled that the decision by the national commissioner of correctional services to place Zuma on medical parole was unlawful and he should go back to jail.
Also top on the list was the axing of Western Cape head of detectives Jeremy Vearey in May over Facebook posts. Last week Police Minister Bheki Cele said the posts were not only irresponsible, reckless, damaging and disrespectful, but also inconsiderate. A ruling by the arbitrator for the Safety and Security Sectoral Bargaining Council upheld Vearey’s dismissal.
The Moti brothers, Zia, aged five, Zayyad, 11, Alaan, 13 and seven-year-old Zida made national and international news when they were kidnapped on their way to school in Polowane in October. In a manoeuvre similar to those often seen on the big screen, the boys were bundled into a vehicle by seven armed men who had blocked their car and fire shots. Like a kidnapping in a movie script, the question of ransom was raised but the family denied paying R50 million.
Three weeks after the story first set social media and news houses abuzz, the family released a statement via its business Facebook page, stating that the brothers were safe at home and asking for their privacy to be respected. Police confirmed the kidnapping case was still under investigation.
Cape Town saw its own spate of kidnappings, including a Chinese businesswoman who was placed inside a vehicle by a group of men in November in Bellville.
Many in the Western Cape were left in shock and heartbroken when the body of nine-month-old Caswell Joseph Frans was found buried in a shallow grave in Vrygrond.
A 40-year-old woman, Priscilla Morris , who is not the baby’s biological mother, has since been arrested and appeared in court on a murder charge. A witness who spoke exclusively to Weekend Argus claimed the infant had been abused daily, and that on the day of the murder the baby was hit and had water was thrown into his face before the woman allegedly placed him inside a bag and buried him.
The witness raised the alarm by telling an activist who informed the police. The infant’s grandfather, Caswell Frans, said he had previously informed social workers of the abuse but received no help. The department of social development has since said an internal investigation is underway to establish the facts.
Femicide and mass shootings in the Western Cape were on the increase this year. In September, Grade 6 teacher Thulani Manqoyi was shot and killed while sitting in his vehicle in the parking area of Heinz Park Primary school.Two gunmen fled the scene and arrests have yet to be made.
Several young women were gruesomely killed this year in South Africa, allegedly by their partners. In September, the dismembered body of Siphokazi Booi, 27, was found along train tracks in Mbekweni in Paarl. She had also been set alight. Her boyfriend was arrested and charged. Soon after that, the body of Sinathi Maqazana was found stuffed inside a garbage bag after she was beaten to death with a hammer in Zwelihle, near Hermanus. In November, the murder of 23-year-old Nosicelo Mtebeni rocked East London and the country after her mutilated body was found inside a suitcase. Another case soon after that, was a young woman whose disjointed body parts were discovered inside a fridge in Protea Glen in Soweto.
Weekend Argus