POLOKWANE – As part of Human Trafficking Week, police held a media briefing to help raise awareness on the pressing concern.
The media briefing took place in Seshego on Monday.
Acting Provincial Police Commissioner, Nonhlahla Zulu, said most victims who fall prey to human traffickers are from Malawi, Ethiopia and Swaziland with police noticing a steady increase in the number of crimes reported yearly.
Polokwane is not exempt from this statistic as there are currently 77 cases of human trafficking being investigated in the city.
The director and representatives of STOP (Stop Trafficking Of People) met with the police to inform them on what to look out for when it comes to reporting cases of human trafficking.
STOP is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and will work with the police to provide them with training and the signs to look for when investigating cases of human trafficking.
Director for STOP, Corrine Sandenbergh, told Review the areas where the latest cases have been reported are Mankweng, Marble Hall, and Lephalale where vehicles have been found to be transporting people who have become victims of human trafficking.
She explained the update of the Human Trafficking Act in 2015 has helped raise awareness on the matter with more cases being reported and investigated instead of just falling through the cracks.
“This is the main reason why we decided to join forces with the police and help them fill the gaps to bring criminals involved with human trafficking to book,” Sandenbergh said.
She added that foreign nationals are being coerced into coming to South Africa where they are then exploited. Sandenbergh said Polokwane is one of the cities which is likely to be used by human traffickers because it is the capital city of Limpopo. That, along with the fact that the province borders with three countries makes it an ideal hub for human trafficking activities.
A girl being trafficked will keep on bringing in money for years to come because she is sold for domestic work as well as being a sex slave
Speaking on an incident where Ethiopian nationals were found last year in a tuck shop, Sandenbergh said the victims should not be hastily repatriated as the situation in their own countries could be even worse than what they find themselves in at the hands of human traffickers.
“Human trafficking is a complex crime. It’s a woman crossing the border saying she is a refugee, while a trafficker has coerced or threatened her into coming to the country. In many cases, it is homeless and hungry people who sell their children for money in order to survive,” Sandenbergh explained.
She said in the coming months, STOP will assist police on the procedures involved in rescuing, arresting and being reliable witnesses during the court cases that follow arrests.
One of the things they will look at and lay emphasis on, she added, is teaching police officials to ask the right questions and identifying a human trafficking victim along with enabling them with the knowledge to provide counselling to the victims.
She said the main thing that differentiates human trafficking from other crimes is that it brings in money continuously. “When you sell drugs, for instance, it will bring you money once. A girl being trafficked will keep on bringing in money for years to come because she is sold for domestic work as well as being a sex slave,” she concluded.
Read more:
Dedicated line to report human trafficking activities
Man arrested for human trafficking in Limpopo
2 to appear before court for human trafficking
