- Part 3 of our series on child sexual abuse material features Captain Veronica Banks who has spent over 15 years tracking down child rapists, paedophiles and online predators.
- She has secured 67 life sentences and 782 years in prison for predators, including a father in Sasolburg who was jailed for 38 life terms for abusing his daughter.
- Despite the emotional toll, Captain Banks keeps fighting to protect children and bring criminals to justice.
JOHANNESBURG - Every day, Captain Veronica Banks wakes up with one mission - to save a child’s life.
Her work takes her into the darkest depths of society, where children are abused, exploited and robbed of their innocence.
She has rescued victims and put perpetrators behind bars, securing 67 life terms and 782 years in prison for 22 serial rapists and paedophiles.
Capt. Banks’ journey began in 1990 when she joined the police as a student constable.
In 1993, she moved to the Child Protection Unit, fighting crimes against children. Wanting to make more of an impact, she then joined the Serial and Electronic Crime Investigations (SECI) Unit, where she tracks down child abuse predators.
"I wanted to assist children in a different way," she says.
"There are victims whose abuse is not visible or known. I wanted to be their voice."
A SECI detective for 13 years, Banks says the team spends long hours analysing evidence to identify child sexual abuse material, identifying victims and hunting predators.
"It's a long process. Sometimes, before we even arrest a suspect, we spend months investigating, gathering evidence, and tracing their online activity. By the time we go to court, our dockets are a lever arch file," she adds.
One of her most disturbing cases involved a 41-year-old father from Sasolburg, sentenced in 2018 to 38 life terms and 328 years for multiple counts of rape, sexual abuse, and generating and possessing child sexual abuse material.
The case landed on Capt. Banks’ desk after international law enforcement flagged the abuser’s IP address.
He had drugged, raped and filmed his victims, including his own daughters.
Nineteen children were identified, with the youngest just five-years old.
Capt. Banks’ investigation uncovered over 2.4 million images, and one million videos.
"I remember in court, he called himself a self-confessed paedophile."
Taking these matters to court means a great deal for Capt. Banks, as she says she gets to hear the perpetrators speak about the crimes they have committed.
She often cannot believe that many show no remorseful, and most don’t even think they did anything wrong, especially those who are found with child sexual abuse material.
"They believe they did not hurt a child and there is no victim, but somewhere along the line when that photo or video was taken, victims were sexually abused."
Capt. Banks says predators no longer need to lure victims in public places - they now hide behind screens, targeting children through social media. Many victims unknowingly expose themselves by sharing images online.
She adds that some victims never fully recover, despite counselling.
"The trauma haunts them forever."
Over the years, Capt. Banks has confronted the worst of humanity, explaining that some cases can be emotionally draining, with hardened officers often breaking down in tears. However, they all lean and rely on each other, knowing they have the support to tackle difficult cases.
Refusing to let cases go unsolved, Capt. Banks says she works hard to expose these crimes so that people can see the seriousness of the situation.
Capt. Banks, who is also a mother of two, reveals that her job has taught her to be protective not just her own children, but also others.
"You always have to look at the bigger picture. If we do not stop this child sexual abuse, whether it's asking children for naked pictures or bullying, we will have more children taking their own lives. And my goal is to stop that," she says.
- by Zandile Khumalo