33 suspected human trafficking victims rescued in Mackenzie Park
This is the second alleged human trafficking cell that has been uncovered in Benoni, in four months.
Detectives from KwaZulu-Natal rescued 33 suspected human trafficking victims from a room in Mackenzie Park on December 3.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Robert Netshiunda, the SAPS KwaZulu-Natal provincial spokesperson, detectives were tracing a suspect wanted in connection with the kidnapping of a foreign national in Springfield Park, KZN, last week.
“Investigations led officers to the house in Benoni,” said Netshiunda.
“With the assistance of SAPS specialised units, they tactically penetrated the house. During the search, they found the men cramped into a single room. One suspect was arrested.”
These arrest comes four months after 26 Ethiopian nationals were discovered on a property on Fifth Street, Northmead.
Captain Nomsa Sekele, spokesperson for the Benoni Police Station, stated that on August 23 officers acted on a tip-off, claiming that the foreign nationals were held in a room of an alleged guest house.
“The men were locked in the house for about four months, after being lured into the country with the promise of jobs,” she said.
“The men were not forcibly brought to South Africa and therefore charged with being in the country illegally.”
At the time, two men, a 34-year-old Ethiopian and a 28-year-old Malawian, were arrested and charged with human trafficking.
The Ethiopian national was the alleged ‘kingpin’ who had recruited the victims while the Malawian man had been guarding the house.
Netshiunda confirmed they arrested one suspect in the most recent incident.
At the time of publication, the police could not confirm the ages and nationalities of the victims and suspect.
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