THE KZN Hawks swooped down on a 40 year-old Swazi national on Wednesday, following the alleged abduction of three young children from Swaziland.
The man was arrested in Durban on charges of human trafficking, rape and violation of the Immigration Act.
According to Captain Simphiwe Mhlongo, the children, aged five, seven and 13, were rescued last week.
The 13 year-old was allegedly also repeatedly raped and fell pregnant.
The case was opened at Mbabane and the docket was handled by Interpol.
They are currently held at a place of safety, while efforts are being made to reconcile them with their biological mother.
The suspect appeared in the Durban Regional Court on Friday.
Trafficking in Richards Bay
Meanwhile, local CPF members report high volumes of sex workers out on the city streets at night, while business owners complain about brothels masquerading as massage and beauty parlours, operating in their midst.
Reports ave been received that penniless Mozambicans are offered transport and work opportunities in Richards Bay by recruiters, but on arrival are informed that they owe transport fees, which they must then ‘repay’.
The source says illegal immigrants are used as drug peddlers and engaged in other criminal activities because they are at the mercy of the traffickers.
‘Mozambique is a very poor country with desperate people. It is easy to recruit them with promises of employment.
‘Once they have taken the bait, they are transported to Richards Bay and Durban.
‘They don’t have paperwork, so they can be controlled with fear of arrest and xenophobic attacks.
‘I believe a number of those caught in illegal activities, may in fact be trafficking victims,’ the source said.
Efforts are underway to educate stakeholders on how to identify human trafficking, through awareness campaigns and workshops driven by Freedom Generation SA in partnership with the Zululand Observer.
Successful prosecutions
Since the inception of the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Act last year, several human traffickers have been successfully prosecuted and handed down hefty sentences.
A 34 year-old Nigerian was sentenced to 21 years imprisonment last Monday by the East London Regional Court, after trafficking two teenagers, aged 14 and 15 from Soweto to Quigney, East London.
Chinamera Amajouyi and co-accused, Prince Ameku Agu, lured the girls in with promises of a goof life, but instead forced them into prostitution at the time of the Soccer World Cup 2010.
They were rescued by another sex-worker who hid them in her house.
The accused were arrested in 2011 and released on bail, but absconded trial.
Amajouyi was rearrested in 2015 and the Hawks are still tracking down Agu.
Amajouyi’s girlfriend, who testified against him in in terms of Section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Act, told the court that she was a sex worker while going out with Amajouyi and that she was instructed by him to groom the teenage victims for sex work.
They were then offered to men for compensation.
Amajouyi took the money they made and gave them drugs to smoke.
