TRUCK driver, James Mahachi, has been convicted of human trafficking in a case in which he abused two teenage girls for domestic duties and sexual exploitation.

Mahachi was found guilty of using an agent to recruit and exploit two minor girls, aged 13 and 17, promising to pay their school fees but instead used them for domestic duties and sexual exploitation.

In his judgment, magistrate Ngoni Nduna stated that human trafficking does not always require the movement of victims across borders.

Mahachi, the magistrate ruled, had exhibited no intention of taking the girls to school after taking them from their home.

He is due to return to court for sentencing.

He was employed to drive trucks to South Africa, Zambia and DRC.

The State proved that between September 2021 and March last year, Mahachi used an agent, Brighton Nyamandi, to recruit the two girls from Hurungwe promising to pay their school fees.

Instead, he abused his power over the victims and subjected them to domestic duties and sexual exploitation.

In his judgment, magistrate Nduna said the state managed to prove the essential elements of the offence.

“Accused faces five charges, two of human trafficking, two of human smuggling and rape.

“Human trafficking doesn’t always require movement of victims across borders, it can be done within the same jurisdiction, but there just has to be the use of coercion or deception, harbouring for the use of exploitation.

“He exhibited no meaningful intention to take them to school yet he had taken them from their home under the belief that he would take them to school.

“He lied and insisted that his vehicle moved in a convoy but the expert from the company said the cargo carried by that vehicle wasn’t assigned any security.

“He proved to be a very crafty person as he took them without a passport or any travel documents to South Africa.

“His aim was clearly to exploit the children.”

The magistrate added: “He stayed at his home with them using them as free labour, his intention was to gratify himself sexually, caressing them which amounts to indecent assault even though the victim denied in court that she had been raped.

“The complainants were very credible witnesses because they couldn’t have made up the South Africa story if they never went there,” he said.