Police warn against human trafficking fake news
Members of the public are encouraged to report crime or suspicious activities by contacting their nearest police station or calling the SAPS crime stop number 08600 10111.
Over the past weekend, the Hawks arrested five suspects for alleged human trafficking young women from Limpopo, Lesotho, Namibia to work in brothels in Rustenburg & Kuruman. The South African Police Service (SAPS) shared on their twitter page that the suspects were arrested at three properties during a take-down operation.
The past few weeks have brought a lot of panic to residents as videos of kidnapping and alleged human traffickers have been shared on social media. Many residents seem to be afraid of letting their children out of their sight in fear of them being taken by traffickers.
Although communications officer from the Eldorado Park SAPS, Constable Roxanne Gibb indicated that there have been no reports of alleged human trafficking or kidnapping in the area, a resident shared that they witnessed a group of men who are watching children in the area. The resident shared the incident which took place on Saturday, September 19.
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“Saturday was one of the scariest experiences that I have ever come across. I witnessed guys who we believe are here in our community to kidnap our children. I walked up to the car to ask the guy if he is lost or in need of assistance, but as soon as I approached him, he sped off.
“More people came back to me and said that these guys have been driving in the area for the past few hours. The car had no registration, it was a brand new white polo. He was holding up his phone and it looked like he was taking photos of the children playing,” explained the resident.
When asked why the resident felt that the guy was taking photos, he said that the guy was holding his phone upon his stirring wheel, and was facing the children.
“It did not look like he was chatting on his phone. The first time I saw the car, there were five guys inside, but by the time I approached him, he was alone in the car. There is another blue car which seems to be operating together with this white polo, it’s all over the community group chats.”
The resident added that they did call the police at Eldorado Park SAPS but no one came out.
Constable Gibb shared a media statement by Brigadier Mathapelo Peters from SAPS stating; “Police in Gauteng have noted with concern the continued peddling of fake news relating to human trafficking or kidnapping of women and children, and are cautioning the public against the incessant promotion and distribution of such malicious untruths. This practice continues to spread even after the office of the National Commissioner in the past two weeks issued a similar warning while putting matters into perspective.”
The resident from Eldorado Park stands by what allegedly happened on that Saturday and concluded:
“As residents of Eldorado Park, I want us all to be extra vigilant, we are going to be taking care of our children. No weapon formed against us will prosper. We are going to fight this in our community.”
Members of the public are encouraged to report crime or suspicious activities by contacting their nearest police station or calling the SAPS crime stop number 08600 10111. Information may also be conveyed to the police on the MySAPS App that can be downloaded on any smartphone.
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