Brothel operator convicted of human trafficking testifies about sex trade

A convicted brothel operator from Milnerton took the stand in the Western Cape High Court on Friday as she pleaded her case after being found guilty of human trafficking.

Leandre Williams, originally from Springbok, returned to court alongside her estranged husband, Edward Ayuk, and his cousin, Yannick Ayuk, as sentencing proceedings got under way.

The trio, who were accused of running the brothel in Brooklyn and trafficking women from Springbok and the Eastern Cape, went on trial in November 2021 in what was dubbed the biggest human trafficking case before a local court.

The accused were slapped with more than 40 charges including rape, kidnapping, assault and various other offences for running the brothel.

During the mammoth trial, several of the women were transported from their hometowns to take the stand.

They told the court of drug abuse, alleged beatings and the semantics of working on the streets of Cape Town.

Williams also took the stand in her own defence, denying she had trafficked any women from Springbok.

After the State closed its case, defence lawyer advocate Bash Sibda successfully argued for the acquittal of 27 charges against Yannick.

They were later found guilty by Judge Alma de Wet on various charges and Williams was taken into custody.

Taking the stand on Friday, Williams told the court she did not really understand what prostitution was until she was charged criminally.

She explained that as a young mother in Springbok, she met a club owner who offered her money for sex.

The woman, who formally testified about the sex trade at the diamond mines, said in her view, it was a “normal life”.

“He felt sexually attracted to me and offered me enough money to take care of me and I saw an opportunity.

At that time I didn’t know it was prostitution, I saw an opportunity and I grabbed it. He is married, yes, when he calls me I sleep with him for money.

“I didn’t know it was prostitution. It went on and I met his friends in the industry. For us it was just a normal life. You meet men, they buy you a beer and you go to bed with them.”

She told the court that when she arrived in Parow, it was the first time she had met Edward and accused him of using black magic to convince her to agree to the marriage.

Probation reports for both cousins were also handed in. Edward maintained he was being framed, but Yannick said he was only in the country for four months at the time of his arrest and maintained his innocence.

The probation officer recommended imprisonment for both cousins but said he found both were candidates for rehabilitation.

The Mercury