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Picture taken from www.www.zoriah.net

 Instead, the children were offered a 2lt Tweeza fizzy drink and a packet of biscuits after every shift 

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The man rewarded the child workers with only a soft drink and a packet of biscuits, said labour department spokeswoman Wisane Mavasa.   The man was caught using seven children, aged between nine and 13 years, to work as packers at his warehouse last Tuesday.

“His arrest came after our department received information from concerned community members,” said Mavasa.   The children were responsible for loading stock in trucks at two warehouses he owns, at Zastron and at Sterkspruit in the Eastern Cape.

They were also made to travel in these trucks and deliver the goods at different towns in both provinces in the middle of the night.

Mavasa said it was established that the children, some whose service dated back to three years ago, had worked for the employer without getting any remuneration.

“Instead, the children were offered a 2lt Tweeza fizzy drink and a packet of biscuits after every shift,” she said.

The man appeared in the Zastron Magistrate’s Court on child labour charges last Thursday.

He was not asked to plead and was released on R2000 bail pending the trial.

The children were removed from his premises and placed at the SA Police Service victim support centre for overnight care.

They were later handed over to the department of social development.

Free State chief director of provincial operations Marsha Bronkhorst, said the department would stop at nothing in its fight against law-breakers who chose to ignore the laws that protected the rights of children.   “We will ensure that the law runs its course and justice prevails for these children.” 

Comments

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Wed May 22 05:53:57 SAST 2013 ::

Feb 11, 2013

puda

no comment
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Feb 11, 2013

somaartakeit

where were their parents when this was happening for 3yrs nogal? yhazi some ppl don't deserve to be called parents cause nje they are so useless.
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Feb 11, 2013

MommaC

There must be more to this story!
A packet of biscuits and a cold-drink?
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Feb 11, 2013

Mrazane

@somaartakeit - I suspect that these are children who have lost their parents to AIDS, hence this man is exploiting them like this. With so many child headed households, such evil people are bound to take advantage of the situation, many young girls have become se--xual slaves to these predators. It is really sad. Thanks to the community members who reported this.


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Feb 12, 2013

RobinX

Lock the f*cker up and throw away the key. Problem is that unscrupulous devils like this guy have bribe money and WILL get away with it. Watch this space. I will eat my shorts if this man get prosecuted successfully.
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Feb 12, 2013

Shredder

@Mrazane
@somaartakeit - I suspect that these are children who have lost their parents to AIDS,

Does it have to be AIDS?
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Feb 12, 2013

RobinX

SHredder: Does it matter?
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Feb 12, 2013

LEEEEEEEE

@Robix JA THEY MUST DO SO.he dnt deserve a bail.mo2 ga ana dihlong a xomixa ngwana yo monyane boxigo!!!!sissss
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Feb 12, 2013

SA.DRAMAQUEEN123

dam dog, poor kids. am sure he was sexually abusing some of the girls too.
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