Trafficker found guilty: justice for Upington victims lured into sex trafficking

Victims who were lured to Johannesburg from Upington in the Northern Cape under false pretenses and forced into prostitution received a measure of justice this week when one of their traffickers was found guilty in Gauteng.

VICTIMS who were lured to Johannesburg from Upington in the Northern Cape under false pretenses and forced into prostitution received a measure of justice this week when one of their traffickers was found guilty.

The Gauteng Division of the High Court in Johannesburg has found 36-year-old Emmanuel Uzoaga guilty of human trafficking, speech and fraud, and breaching the immigration law.

According to Northern Cape Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Tebogo Thebe, Uzoaga’s legal troubles began in May 2021. Upington police received an anonymous tip that Uzoaga was about to transport an 18-year-old victim to Johannesburg for sexual exploitation. Initial investigation revealed that Uzoaga had previously transported the victim to the same location.

Police obtained a search warrant for the identified location, which was executed in May 2021 at a house in Lonehill, Johannesburg, which had been converted into a brothel. During the search, police rescued three more victims and arrested two other suspects.

Uzoaga and his accomplice, 32-year-old James Okhudili Ugwuoke, both Nigerian nationals, have been in custody since their arrest in Upington and Johannesburg respectively. The third suspect, 27-year-old Luzinda Pinky Abraham, was initially among the rescued victims. However, further investigation revealed that she was involved in the crime, leading to a warrant for her arrest.

The investigation revealed that all the victims had been lured from Upington in the Northern Cape under false pretenses by Abraham, who had links to Ugwuoke. Abraham acted as a recruiter and brought her friends to Johannesburg, where they were forced into prostitution and given drugs daily. Abraham was found guilty of forgery.

The case has been adjourned until October 9 for sentencing.

The provincial head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) in the Northern Cape, Major General Steven Mabuela, commended his team and the prosecutor for their dedicated work.