Four accused appeared in the Belfast Magistrate’s Court on charges of trafficking after the Mpumalanga Hawks had rescued 39 victims on a farm in Belfast on June 24.
According to Colonel Katlego Mogale, a Hawks spokesperson, the victims included women and minors.
ALSO READ: 22-year-old CIT heist case in Graskop court
Cornelis Johannes Uys (60), Cornelis Johannes Albertus Uys (23), Carlos Bernardo Guambe (34) and Gabriel Bernardo Guambe (32) appeared in the Belfast Magistrate’s Court on Monday July 11 on charges of contravening Section 4 (1) of the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act 7 of 2013, and Section 10 (1) of the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act 7 of 2013: participating or conspiring to traffic in persons, for bail application.
Information from the Hawks stated that the victims were trafficked from Mozambique and were driven to Lydenburg, where the son of the farm owner and another trafficker allegedly met with the taxi driver and paid for the transportation of the victims. The two Guambe brothers (from Mozambique) were also charged with contravention of the immigration act.
ALSO READ: Four accused of kidnapping and murdering man in Mkhuhlu
The bail application against the Guambes was abandoned and the accused were remanded in custody. Their case was postponed to July 18 for an interpreter and plea.
The bail application against the other two accused, father and son Cornelis Johannes and Cornelis Johannes Albertus, was argued by the defence.
