Man nabbed for trafficking 15-year-old Mozambican girl to SA as ‘sex slave’

Police have confirmed that a 53-year-old Mozambican national appeared in the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court for contravening the Trafficking in Persons Act 7 of 2013 on Monday.

According to police, the accused was arrested last week after he allegedly lured a 15-year-old girl from Mozambique with the promise of a job at his spaza shop in Alexandra.

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Police said the victim and her family were reportedly told that the suspect’s wife was partially blind and she needed help to run the business.

“The suspect took the young lady from her parents in Mozambique promising that he will send them money every month,” explained police spokesperson Colonel Philani Nkwalase.

Frequently raped

Nkwalase said that upon reaching Johannesburg, the victim discovered the absence of a spaza shop to manage, while the suspect proceeded to subject her to threats and forced sexual encounters from January to March 2023.

“The victim shared her multiple rape ordeal to a fellow Mozambican woman working as a cashier at a local supermarket when she was sent to buy food,” he said.

He confirmed that after the incident was reported to the local police and the victim was relocated to a safe environment, the case docket was subsequently transferred to the Hawks for additional investigation.

The proceedings against the suspect were adjourned to 29 May 2013, to gather formal information regarding bail.

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Kidnapping

Earlier this month, in another suspected human trafficking case, another teen managed to escape from a shipping container in KwaZulu-Natal after he was allegedly kidnapped while waiting for his school transport pick-up.

KZN Saps provincial spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said: “Wentworth police are investigating a case of kidnapping following an incident where three unknown suspects pulled and covered a 16-year-old victim into a vehicle in Basil February Road at the Racecourse on 16 May 2023.

“It is alleged that the victim was waiting for school transport when he was kidnapped. The victim was kept in a shipping container for a day before he managed to escape. No arrests have been made,” he said.

Kidnappings increase fourfold

According to the Institute for Security Studies, in South Africa, the rate of kidnappings has increased fourfold compared to a decade ago.

The institute confirmed that during the final three months of 2022, which is the most recent period with available official crime statistics, an average of 45 kidnappings were reported to the police on a daily basis.

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But are these incidents necessarily related to human trafficking? The institute said that fewer than two kidnappings out of the daily average are linked to ransom demands, human trafficking or extortion.

According to the Saps Crime Registrar’s office, the motive of 63% of the kidnappings in South Africa are related to hijacking and robberies, where the victim is abducted to either provide access to cash or other valuables.

Around 10% of the kidnappings were rape-related. Less than one percent were related to human trafficking.