Cape Town - The trial of the sex trafficking trio, Edward Ayuk, his wife Leandre, and his brother, Yannick, continues in the Western Cape High Court.
The trial took an unprecedented turn when another State witness, Monday Daniels, testified that he knew nothing about the Ayuks’ dealings or that he ever participated in the trade of “sex for drugs”.
It is alleged that the trio benefited financially from the service of women they moved to the city, and took the money they made from selling themselves to unknown men.
Daniels testified that although he might have allowed certain women (the victims) into his home and on to his property, he had no idea the Ayuks were running a brothel from their Brooklyn home.
He said he had been living and working in the country since 2010, as a “mechanic” fixing cars and trading in car parts, but now lived with his girlfriend and supported his two children.
Defence lawyer for the brothers, advocate Mohamed Sibda, pressed Daniels to admit that he participated in making use of the Ayuks’ “services”, however Daniels was adamant he knew nothing.
One of the trio’s victims – the woman who testified that with the assistance of the Hawks she was able to escape prostitution – testified that Daniels was involved in the trafficking ring and made use of their services.
She and another witness mentioned Daniels as a “client”, but he said he merely let them into his “compound” and ensured their safety.
“That lady had her own room and I had mine and I do my own work as the mechanic,” he said.
Daniels said that when he tried to warn one of the victims that she “must stop bringing her friends here”, for fear that the neighbours would hear them “drinking alcohol and making noise” at his “compound”, she was arrested.
The Ayuks denied they knew who Daniels was, and giggled in the dock as he tried to explain himself to the court.