Plans afoot to better fight human trafficking
Mpumalanga province was the Department of Justice's last stop to discuss the implementation of the anti-trafficking act which came into operation last August.
MBOMBELA – Human trafficking came under the magnifying glass last week when important stakeholders participated in a workshop on the law aiming to combat it.
Representatives from several government departments, organs of state and institutions converged on Mercure Hotel on Wednesday to discuss the National Policy Framework (NPF) for the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act.
“We want to make sure that the NPF is a living document and does not become a policy which is not implemented properly. This is why we are here today,” said Mr Joseph Mogoshane, state law adviser for the Department of Justice (DOJ).
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The Act came into operation in August 2015. Mpumalanga was the DOJ’s last stop on its visits to all of the country’s nine provinces in order to finalise the draft NPF on the implementation of the Act. Mogoshane said Mpumalanga has been an integral province in the fight against human trafficking since 2010 when an anti-trafficking task team was launched at Mbombela Stadium in anticipation of incidents during the Fifa World Cup.
Mogoshane added that it was important to have contributions from all sectors of society to forge a way forward and to improve the public’s confidence in the criminal justice system.
“We have very well-written documents in South Africa that are not always put into practice. Now we have to make sure this Act is implemented properly in an integrated, cooperative way,” he said.
“We need the people of South Africa to be aware of what is going on. Public awareness is incredibly important for its success. It is obligatory that if you suspect anyone to be a victim of human trafficking, to report it immediately. There have been many recent cases which have been reported due to citizens’ cooperation.”
Adv Victor Mafolo, head of the Mpumalanga task team, added that the NPF is relevant for public consumption in order to inform South Africans on what is being done about this social issue.
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