Nyaradzo Ellen Gewdzi, a 40-year-old Zimbabwean national, has been sentenced to a suspended prison term for managing a brothel in George, Western Cape.
The conviction comes after a law enforcement operation led by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks, initially targeting human trafficking.
Gewdzi’s legal troubles began on May 25, when an intelligence operation was launched following surveillance of the suspected brothel. Concern arose when a South African Police Services (SAPS) vehicle was spotted at the location responding to a reported @ss@ult.
The Hawks, in collaboration with the George Visible Police (Vispol), inquired at the local police station about the purpose of the police presence.
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During the investigation, authorities interviewed a 25-year-old Zimbabwean woman who had reported an assault after failing to comply with the brothel’s rules.
This woman was later identified as a victim of human trafficking. She was taken to George Hospital for medical treatment before being referred to an accredited shelter.
Following this discovery, Gewdzi was arrested at the police station where the investigation unfolded.
She appeared in court multiple times, with bail being denied, resulting in her remaining in custody since her arrest.
Initially facing five charges, the state eventually withdrew three of them—specifically, the tr@fficking in persons charge under the Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, as well as two charges relating to the Sexual Offences Act.
Ultimately, Gewdzi was convicted for living off the proceeds of prostitution and operating a brothel.
In a recent court ruling, the Thembalethu Branch Court sentenced Gewdzi to two years in prison, with the sentence wholly suspended for three years.
Additionally, she was declared unfit to possess a firearm.