Hawks arrest illegal immigrants in Witbank brothel raids

In response to the nationwide call by President Cyril Ramaphosa to fight the scourge of gender-based violence including trafficking in persons, a crisis that is tearing our society apart, the Hawks together with the other stakeholders identified houses used as brothels in Witbank, the Hawks said in a statement.

A disruptive operation was conducted by members of the Hawks Mpumalanga, Local Criminal Record Centre, When Duty Call Head Office, Corporate Communication, Tactical Response  Team, Family Child Protection Unit Witbank, SAPS Witbank and Department of Home Affairs in Witbank on the early hours of Thursday, the statement said.

During the search at the identified premises, sex workers were interviewed and  they confirmed that they originate from Zimbabwe and Lesotho as well as all other provinces.

“More than ten suspects were arrested and taken to the police station where they were charged for contravening the immigration Act and dealing in drugs. The suspects between the ages of 29 and 49 will appear before the Witbank Magistrate court on Friday.

“During the campaign, more information was shared by the community about gender based violence and trafficking in persons,” the Hawks said.

“The MMC of Emalahleni Municipality and the Provincial Head for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Mpumalanga, Major General Zodwa Mokoena, applauded the work done by the teams in organising and executing the program successfully. They made a call for unity in fighting against crime.

“They concluded by encouraging all victims to report their complaints to the police and undertook to continue with this type of campaigns to create awareness to our communities.”

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