A Uitenhage woman has been given six life sentences following her conviction on charges of trafficking in persons and racketeering.
Hawks Eastern Cape spokesperson, Captain Anelisa Feni, says 50-year-old Nombuyiselo Matini, was sentenced in the Uitenhage Magistrate's Court on Thursday.
Matini was also sentenced to a further 46 years in jail.
Her co-accused, 25-year-old, Nolubabalo Mboya, was sentenced to a period of house arrest that included community service.
The pair were found guilty last year.
The Hawks said that Matini had operated a brothel situated at the Hlathini informal settlement near the Fairview Racecourse between 2006 and 2012 when two mentally challenged women, aged 19 and 21, fled from the brothel.
She said that the 21-year-old had to have her pregnancy terminated after she was rescued while the 19-year-old died in December 2016 "after her health deteriorated allegedly as a result of her ordeal."
Feni said the Hawks investigation led to the arrest of Matini and Mboya in March 2013.
