Cape Town woman arrested for human trafficking

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as Hawks) in the Western Cape said it arrested an alleged human trafficker in Kraaifontein, Cape Town, on Wednesday, October 2.

Hawks provincial spokesperson Warrant Officer Zinzi Hani said a multi-disciplinary team comprising the Hawks’ Economic Protected Resources team in the Western Cape, along with law enforcement and the City of Cape Town’s Department of Home Affairs and Immigration in Bellville performed the operation.

This comes after a human trafficking victim was rescued from Nigeria earlier this year.

“The suspect was arrested at a house in Kraaifontein, where four possible victims were rescued. Her arrest stems from a follow-up investigation that started earlier this year, during which it was discovered that the suspect trafficked a victim from Nigeria for sexual exploitation.

“Preliminary investigations and interviews by social workers have revealed that the four possible victims are not victims of human trafficking, but are staying illegally in South Africa,” Hani said.

The four people who were rescued were then immediately arrested and charged with violating immigration law.

The suspect will appear in court on Friday.

“The alleged human trafficker will appear before the Kuilsriver District Court on Friday, October 4, 2024, on charges of human trafficking and violation of the Immigration Act, while the other four will appear before the same court on charges of violation of the Immigration Act,” Hani said.

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IOL