Maputo — The Pretoria Magistrates Court on Monday began the long-awaited trial of Aldina Hermenegildo dos Santos (better known as "Diana"), on 65 charges including the illegal trafficking of young Mozambican girls into South Africa for sexual exploitation.

According to a report on the trial in Tuesday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias", Diana, a Mozambican national, denied all the charges, despite her initial confession in late February when she was first detained by the South African authorities.

At that time she asked for forgiveness not only from the victims themselves, but also from their relatives and from the entire Mozambican people.

Diana now says she is innocent of all the charges and that the girls involved went to Pretoria by their own means, and that she never submitted them to any form of sexual exploitation.

One of the Mozambican victims the court heard on Monday, J. Huges, stressed that she, together with E. Muianga and C. Malandzo, were lured to South Africa in January by Diana, who met them in the Maputo suburb of Costa do Sol. J. Huges said the three were promised good jobs and that they would be able to continue their studies in one of the main schools of Pretoria.

She also told the court that they were subjected to sexual exploitation, being forced to have sexual relations with up to 10 men a day. She added that Diana kept the money from the 'business'.

Restrictions on the press and public are in force for this trial, particularly at the moments the young victims arrive at the court. The authorities explain that these extra measures seek to prevent exposure of the victims. They are speaking through a video-conference system, from a room next to where Diana is confined.

An interpreter of Portuguese nationality, Ludovina Coimbra, has been hired by the court. Coimbra has been working with South African courts for the past 21 years.

The trial resumes on Tuesday, with the testimony of the other two young girls. Other witnesses, who travelled from Maputo to attend the trial, are expected to testify on Wednesday.

A Mozambican lawyer resident in South Africa, Inacio Mussanhane, who denounced the case in February, has been listed as one of the prosecution witnesses. He is therefore barred from hearing the interrogation of Diana and her victims.