The Mercury
Doctor Genchen Rugnath and his wife, Ravina, have been served with a preservation order by the Asset Forfeiture Unit for their Point building which allegedly housed a brothel. Picture: Sandile Makhoba
Durban – A Durban doctor and his wife, who are standing trial on charges relating to human trafficking and keeping a brothel, could now also lose the Point building from where the alleged brothel operated.
Yesterday afternoon officials of Durban’s Asset Forfeiture Unit served a “preservation order”, granted by Durban High Court Judge Philip Nkosi, on Dr Genchen Rugnath and his wife, Ravina.
The Inn Town Lodge, a three-storey building in Rochester Street, which has 36 bedrooms and is said to be worth about R1.3 million, will now fall under the control of the court-appointed curator, Craig Wood.
The possible forfeiture of the building to the state, as an “instrumentality of an offence”, is not dependent on the Rugnaths being convicted criminally, although they will have an opportunity to oppose this.
The couple, who live in Lagoon Drive, Umhlanga, are standing trial, along with alleged drug and prostitution boss Sandile Zweni and his “runners”, Nduduzo Dlamini and Bhahba Dubanzani, on a collective 156 charges relating to the alleged running of the brothel and prostitution.
They have all pleaded not guilty, with the doctor claiming he left the business in the hands of his manager Veena Budhram and, if there were any illegal activities taking place on the premises, he was unaware of them.
The trial is set to resume in June.
In an affidavit, which came before Judge Nkosi in the asset forfeiture matter, the investigating officer, Warrant Officer Cyril Freese, said Budhram was arrested after a raid in which 23 prostitutes between 17 and 26 were found on the property – some of whom later claimed they were forced into prostitution by Zweni who got them addicted to drugs.
Budhram was charged with keeping a brothel, dealing in liquor without a licence and trafficking in persons for sex. She had now turned State witness and would testify against her former boss, he said.
Freese alleges there was a “parasitic relationship” between Zweni and the Rugnaths on one hand, and the women on the other hand.
“Zweni relied on the females for the money they earned from prostitution. The females relied on him for food, accommodation, clothing and cocaine. Rugnath and his wife depended on the rent they received from Zweni to the extent that the essential bills for the property could only be met from such rent,” he said.
“On the few occasions the property was let for legitimate purposes, Rugnath indicated (to Budhram) that the electricity and water could not be met whereas when the rooms were let to Zweni for prostitution and dealing in drugs, these expenses were met and a generous profit was made.
“I submit that Rugnath was aware of the unlawful activities being carried out there. In fact, he actively participated by directing Budhram and the rest of the staff to monitor which women occupied which rooms. Rugnath kept a close watch on money he received from Zweni and even calculated the debt Zweni owed him at one time.”
Freese alleged the property was “directly involved in the commission of the offences”, saying between 2009 and last year the rooms, with their bare essentials of a bed, toilet, ablution facility and, in some cases, a TV, had been used for prostitution.
“Condoms and pornographic videos were advertised and… available at the reception area,” he said.
He alleged in three operations, undercover police officers had bought drugs there and had been offered sex in exchange for money. One of the prostitutes, who claimed to be only 16, had offered a “full house” for R150 but said she could discount this.
The Rugnaths have 14 days to file a notice of opposition.
tania.broughton@inl.co.za
The Mercury
