He faces around 20 charges in total (some reports list a slightly varying mix), including trafficking in persons, kidnapping, sexual assault, procurement of females for unlawful carnal intercourse/prostitution-related offences, crimen injuria, and contraventions of the Cybercrimes Act and the Films and Publications Act. The state is opposing bail; the matter was postponed to 25 August 2026 for a formal bail application. He is being held at Westville Prison Hospital due to reported health issues (including uncontrolled high blood pressure, a cholesterol disorder, and a prior tumour removal). He has not yet pleaded. Five other suspects are linked and under further investigation.
Background on the accused and investigation timeline
The man is described in reports as a controversial, high-profile Durban businessman and convicted drug dealer (he received an effective three-year sentence in 1992 for dealing in Mandrax). His name has previously surfaced in connection with the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry (probing alleged criminality, political interference, and corruption in the criminal justice system) and Parliament’s related ad hoc committee.
The underlying events date to February–March 2022. Four young women (reports vary between three primary complainants detailed in the charge sheet and four rescued overall; ages in the broader 19–27 range in contemporaneous coverage) from Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, were allegedly recruited via WhatsApp under the false pretence of legitimate employment with a company referred to as “ICLICK.” The offer involved selling SIM cards to clients at a private casino and/or call-centre work, with transport and accommodation provided.
They travelled to Durban and were taken on 2 March 2022 to a house at 59 Stirling Crescent, Durban North. Upon arrival, they were allegedly told the job was actually of a sexual nature involving physical sexual exploitation and an online platform (webcam performances, streaming of sexual acts, pornography creation/distribution, escort services, and appearance on an adult website referred to as “Red Velvet”).
Alleged kidnapping and confinement
According to the charge sheet (as reported in detail by IOL), two of the accused kidnapped the women at the address by unlawfully confining them: locking doors, restricting communication, monitoring movements, and preventing them from leaving freely in an area unknown to them. This forms the basis of the kidnapping counts. The women were allegedly kept under control and barred from contacting outsiders.
Alleged sexual assault and exploitation
The charge sheet alleges that a second accused instructed the complainants to dress in sexy lingerie “for the Boss” (the 65-year-old main accused). He is then alleged to have sexually assaulted two of them: hugging one and squeezing her buttocks without consent, and touching another’s breasts and buttocks without consent. These form specific sexual assault counts against him.
Broader trafficking and related counts allege recruitment, transport, harbouring, etc., from Eldorado Park to Durban by means of deception, fraud, coercion, abuse of vulnerability/power, threats, or kidnapping, for the purpose of sexual exploitation (sex work, naked webcam posing, webcam prostitution, escort services, and paid sexual acts). There are also counts of procuring the women as prostitutes and crimen injuria for subjecting them to indecent, degrading, humiliating, and invasive sexual conduct that violated their dignity, self-worth, bodily integrity, and privacy while they were vulnerable and misled.
The state further alleges that adult/webcam/pornographic material was created and distributed online from the address for commercial gain from around 2020 until March 2022, without the required licences or Films and Publications Board registration.
Rescue and later developments
One victim managed to send a WhatsApp message (or use a hidden phone to share a live location/pin) to a boyfriend or contact, who alerted police. A task team rescued the women from the Durban North property (contemporary 2022 reporting described a luxurious house; one woman had already escaped earlier). A human-trafficking docket was opened and handed to the Hawks at the time.
The current police docket was opened at Durban North station in August 2026 (more than four years later). The Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team executed a warrant and arrested the businessman on 11 August 2026 at his home. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed the remand and that the state placed the matter in a bail category requiring the accused to show exceptional circumstances.
Context and nuances
This is a high-profile case partly because of the accused’s prior mentions in corruption/police inquiries and his background. The alleged scheme fits a pattern of job-offer deception used in trafficking for sexual exploitation, combined with confinement and online commercial sexual activity. South African law under the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act and related statutes covers recruitment/transport/harbouring by deception or other means for exploitation, and the additional cyber/films charges address the online distribution aspect.
The accused remains unidentified in public reporting until he pleads (standard practice for sexual-offence charges). The case is at an early stage: no plea has been entered, evidence has not been tested in a full trial, and the allegations are those of the state as reflected in the charge sheet and official statements. Further investigation into co-accused continues. Bail proceedings are scheduled for 25 August 2026.
Contemporary 2022 reporting on the rescue (e.g., by SAPS and IOL at the time) aligns closely with the current charge-sheet details regarding the false job offers, change to sexual work, inappropriate touching by “the boss,” confinement, and the escape via phone contact.
