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Durban brothel case delayed

Durban - The trial of a Durban doctor accused of running a brothel with young girls was delayed on Monday morning after it emerged that one of the accused had not been brought to court.

The case had been expected to continue in the Durban Regional Court on Monday.

Dr Genchen Rugnath is charged along with his wife Ravina, Sandile Patrick Zweni, Nonduzo Dlamini, and Bhabha Dubazini.

Zweni, Dlamini, and Dubazini were denied bail and are being held in Durban's Westville prison.

It was not revealed in court why Dlamini had failed to arrive with Zweni and Dubazini and it was not clear when the case would resume on Monday.

They have all pleaded not guilty to 156 charges, including assault, rape, sexual exploitation of a child, and racketeering.

On Friday an 18-year-old woman, who may not be named, told the court she gave birth to a baby four months after her 15th birthday and returned to prostitution three months later.

She testified that her addiction to drugs supplied by Zweni kept her working, first at Victoria Lodge and then Inn Town Lodge - the hotel Rugnath owned.

She admitted she was not being guarded by anyone and there was nothing physically stopping her from running away.

"I was addicted to drugs. All I could think about was the drugs," she said.

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