Hawks rescue 72 trafficked foreign nationals

As many as 72 foreign nationals trafficked from Swaziland and Lesotho have been rescued from a factory in South Africa, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) said on Monday.

Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo said the Hawks received information indicating that foreign nationals were being held at a certain factory in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal. A warrant was obtained and a search conducted.

“Hawks members together with the department of labour as well as home affairs officials swooped on the premises on Friday, a search was conducted and the victims were found working,” said Mhlongo.

Mhlongo said preliminary investigations revealed that the foreign nationals were brought into South Africa illegally and being exploited.

Five suspects aged between 18 and 35 were arrested. They will appear in the Newcastle Magistrate’s Court on Monday facing charges that include human trafficking.