The police said 33 people, suspected to be victims of human trafficking, were rescued after being found “stashed in one room” at a house in Benoni.
THE POLICE said 33 people, suspected to be victims of human trafficking, were rescued at a house in Gauteng on Sunday evening.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the victims were allegedly “found stashed in one room at a house in Benoni”.
“Detectives from KwaZulu-Natal were tracing a suspect in connection with a case where a foreign national was kidnapped in Springfield Park last week,” Netshiunda said.
“Investigations led the police to a house in Boksburg and working together with other national police specialised units, the house was tactically penetrated and 33 male victims were found cramped in the house and one suspect was arrested.”
Netshiunda said the ages of the victims were yet to be confirmed.
“The suspect will appear in court soon,” said Netshiunda.
In another incident, the commissioner of the Border Management Authority (BMA), Mike Masiapato, has confirmed that it intercepted 443 children, under the age of eight, who were trafficked from Zimbabwe into South Africa.
This follows a sting operation the BMA conducted with the South African Police Service and Home Affairs at the Beitbridge border post on Saturday.
During a media briefing, Masiapato said human trafficking was becoming a serious problem.
