Majake Mabesele, a high court judge in Johannesburg, has handed a 20-year jail sentence to Eke Ogochukwu, a Nigerian, who was convicted of sexually exploiting a 15-year-old girl and forcing her into prostitution.
Ogochukwu was found guilty of four charges relating to human trafficking.
His victim was said to have escaped in August 2015, and received help from a nearby church in Rosettenville.
After the minor escaped officials alerted the police and Ogochukwu was arrested.
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Known to the girl as Johnny, Ogochukwu was said to have sexually abused her.
“Clearly what happened to her was cruel, inhuman and degrading and was a violation of the right to human dignity, which is enshrined in our constitution,” Mabesele said.
“The perpetrators of these offences deserve severe punishment in order to protect and promote a bright future for our young generation.”
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The court heard that he would drug her, force her to perform sexual acts with other men and take the money she made through prostitution.
The young girl was reportedly given 50 rand a day for food and a further rand 100 for every man she was forced to sleep with.
The judge said Ogochukwu took advantage of the teenager as she was homeless after running away from her Vereeniging home in 2015 following a fight with her mother.
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