Alleged sex ring mastermind Gerhard Ackerman case 'test for trafficking laws'
Please be advised the following story might not be suitable for young readers as it involves abuse.
A child rights organisation says the case against alleged sex ring mastermind Gerhard Ackerman is a test of the country's anti-trafficking legislation.
Ackerman is facing more than 700 charges, including rape, attempted murder, and the distribution of child porn.
"Ackerman advertised, transported and rented out received money for sex with boys," says Women and Men Against Child Abuse's Luke Lamprecht.
"That is very very clear in the trafficking legislation. So the defensive consent in terms of the boy's name, which we will not be going into, in terms of it being prostitution, 16 is certainly not the age of consent and equally not for pornography."
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"So it is going to be a very interesting test of our legislation to see if we have covered the existing gaps."
Lamprecht says Ackerman's defence relies on the fact that most of his victims were 16 years and older.
"The evidence that he provided was that these boys were not coming up to South Africa for him to rent them out for sex, that was something that happened between them and their clients.
"He claims that the boys were over the age of 16 and [if they can] consent to sex and as a result he hasn't committed a crime."
He is due back in court next week when closing arguments are set to start.
