Human trafficking linked suspects appear in court
The three who appeared in Kuruman will return to court on 6 October, while those arrested in Rustenburg will appear on Tuesday.
A male suspect managed to escape while the female suspect was apprehended and handed over to the police for further investigations. Picture: iStock
Three people appeared in the Kuruman Magistrate’s Court on Monday on charges of human trafficking.
Chikwuma Emmanuel Ibekwe, 37, Emmanuel Ikechkwu Okafor, 28, and Ifeanhi Michel Udechi, 30, were among those arrested during raids in the North West and Northern Cape on Sunday.
Eleven people, thought to be victims of human trafficking, were rescued at overnight accommodation establishments.
Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said the women had been lured with promises of employment and were used as sex workers.
The three who appeared in Kuruman will return to court on 6 October, while those arrested in Rustenburg will appear on Tuesday.
The seven people who were rescued in Kuruman were from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and South Africa.
Four South African women were also rescued during the raid in Rustenburg, the North West.
The Hawks said the establishments were also closed down.
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