FROM THE COURTS: A Zimbabwean man who lived with a 12-year-old girl as his wife in Robertson, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Worcester Regional Court.

David Chauke (33) was sentenced on Monday, 14 September 2026 for Trafficking in Persons and other related offenses after he was convicted on 16 April 2026.

The case started in November 2020 when information was received about the girl who was living with an adult male as his wife. The matter was reported to the Hawks for probing, which led to the arrest of Chauke in November 2020.

He faced, amongst others, a charge of trafficking in persons for which he received a life imprisonment. On a charge of abduction he got 5 years rape he received life imprisonment, for sexual exploitation of children15 years and contravention of the Immigration Act 12 months imprisonment.

The sentences imposed on the last four charges will run concurrently with the trafficking sentence.

The accused was entered into the National Register for Sex Offenders.

The Hawks’ Provincial head, Major General Makgato, applauded the collaborative efforts by the multi-disciplinary team comprising of the Hawks, Department of Social Development, Interpol, SAPS Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offenses Unit (FCS) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) that brought about this sentence.

“The exploitation of our young children by hard-core criminals will never be tolerated and we will ensure that we fulfill our constitutional mandate to protect our future generation,” said Makgato.