A former Cape Town lawyer has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment in the Wynberg Regional Court for sexually exploiting homeless youth near Muizenberg Beach.

Theo Hartzenberg was found guilty of statutory rape, sexual exploitation of a child, and engaging in sexual services of persons over 18 years old. The court heard disturbing evidence of how Hartzenberg systematically targeted vulnerable street children, paying them R100 for sexual acts.

During the trial, multiple witnesses testified about a regular pattern of exploitation. A 21-year-old witness, who has been homeless since age 18, revealed that Hartzenberg would meet young men near his Muizenberg flat, engaging in sexual acts behind walls or in the area’s distinctive colorful beach bungalows known locally as “cookies.”

One 16-year-old witness, testifying via CCTV for protection, described how Hartzenberg would pay R100 for sexual acts, or R50 if the victims couldn’t perform. The minor admitted to skipping school on Fridays to beg at the beach, unbeknownst to his parents.

The court determined that Hartzenberg had established a systematic operation where victims would even recruit other vulnerable youth, using the money for food and substances including glue and mandrax.

In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered Hartzenberg’s name be added to both the National Child Protection Register and the National Register for Sex Offenders. He was also declared unfit to possess firearms.

State Prosecutor Jacqueline Hefele successfully prosecuted the case despite Hartzenberg’s refusal to testify in his own defense. The court ordered the sentences for statutory rape and child exploitation to run concurrently, resulting in an effective eight-year term of direct imprisonment.