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- An Eastern Cape woman is alleged to have given the babies away to a married couple.
- The couple allegedly promised to support her with food and medicine.
- A medical examination revealed that the babies were malnourished and underweight.
An Eastern Cape mother who is alleged to have sold her one-day-old twin daughters to an unemployed couple in exchange for R50 a day, was denied bail by the Kariega Magistrate's Court.
The 35-year-old woman appeared in the court on Thursday alongside the couple, 38 and 32 years old.
The court released the couple on warning because they could not afford bail.
The mother was denied bail after the court could not verify her physical address.
The National Prosecuting Authority announced on Friday that the three, all from Kariega, were charged with four counts of human trafficking.
It's alleged that while she was pregnant, the mother, who thought she was carrying one child, reached an agreement with the couple to sell the baby to them.
READ | Eastern Cape mother, 2 others in court for alleged sex trafficking of her daughter, niece
In exchange, she was allegedly promised R50 a day by the couple, allowed to keep the monthly Sassa child support grant and be supported with other essentials like food and stress medication.
The woman was unaware that she was pregnant with twins at the time she struck the deal.
NPA spokesperson Anelisa Ngcakani said the woman gave birth to twin girls on 27 May and when she was discharged from hospital the following day, she gave her twins to the unemployed couple.
The three were arrested on 2 June.
A medical examination revealed that the babies were malnourished, underweight and that one of them had bacterial cellulitis infection under one arm, said Ngcakani in a statement.
The case was postponed to 26 July for further investigation.
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