Organ-traffic men spill guts

2003-12-10 21:50

Dries Liebenberg

Durban - Staff and doctors at a private Durban hospital, where more than 80 kidney transplants have been done within two years by an organ syndicate, would have suspected or realised the donors were doing it for money, says Roderick Kimberley, 58, Durban co-ordinator of the syndicate.

The former owner of a photography business appeared in Durban magistrate's court on Wednesday where he pleaded guilty to 78 counts of violating the human tissues act.

He is the second person to plead guilty in connection with the syndicate's operations and has promised to help the authorities.

Kimberley said in his plea agreement he had financial problems after his business went bankrupt five years ago.

Ilan Perry of Israel approached him about two years ago because Kimberley often visited patients in St Augustine's Hospital to see to their needs.

Perry said he arranged kidney transplants and asked Kimberley to look after donors and recipients of the organs.

38 kidney transplants

Kimberley was paid R2 000 a transplant after he realised it was taking up much more of his time than he had anticipated.

Kimberley admitted he had been involved since 2002 until the end of last month in arranging 38 kidney transplant operations at St Augustine's, for which the donors were paid.

False statements were submitted to create the impression that legal requirements had been met.

In terms of South Africa's Act on Human Tissue, living donors must be related to the recipients of their organs and donors cannot be paid for their organs.

Brazilians had been used lately

Argania Robel, an Israeli farmer, who received a donor kidney through the syndicate, said last week in court $45 000 (about R288 450) was paid in Israel to the syndicate and the donor, a Brazilian man, received $6 000 (about R38 460).

According to Kimberley, the donors initially had been from Israel, but more Brazilians had been used lately.

Magistrate Melani de Jager sentenced Kimberley to six years' imprisonment, suspended for five years on condition that he did not violate the Act on Human Tissue.

He was also fined R250 000, of which R100 000 had to be paid on Wednesday and the rest in the next five years in monthly payments of R2 500.

To the knowledge of the police, all the syndicate's transplants that were done in South Africa, were performed in Durban.

According to police senior superintendent Mary Martins-Engelbrecht, more arrests are in the pipeline.

St Augustine's Hospital stated earlier they had not been aware of any irregularities and they had helped police in the investigation.

- Beeld