Sick stash of 56,000 files! — SAPS nabs 59-year-old child porn suspect

Porn

Cape Town – A 59-year-old man has been arrested in Standerton, Mpumalanga, for the possession of child sexual abuse material following a high-level operation by the South African Police Service (SAPS), authorities confirmed on Thursday.

The arrest, which took place on Wednesday, 30 July, forms part of Operation Bad Vibes, an ongoing joint initiative between SAPS and the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The programme, launched in 2023, targets individuals in South Africa linked to the global possession, manufacturing, and distribution of child sexual abuse content.

According to SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda van Wyk, an integrated task team executed a search-and-seizure warrant at the suspect’s premises, where more than 56,000 videos and images depicting child sexual exploitation were uncovered by forensic experts.

The digital evidence was found across multiple seized devices, and the investigation is ongoing.

Authorities also confiscated 15 licensed firearms during the operation.

The operation was led by the Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations (SECI) Unit in Mpumalanga, with support from the HSI, the US Embassy, the Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC), and designated firearm officers.

The suspect appeared briefly in the Standerton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 31 July. His bail hearing is scheduled for Monday, 4 August 2025.

This arrest brings the total number of suspects nabbed under Operation Bad Vibes to sixteen.

Police have reiterated their commitment to tackling the exploitation of children online and across borders, especially as the country enters Women’s Month.

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