More than 30 Zimbabwean women suspected to be victims of human trafficking were rescued by South African police from brothels in eMalahleni, formerly Witbank, in Mpumalanga province where their captors used them as sex slaves. The Zimbabweans were part of a group of 50 victims among them males, from other countries which included the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria and locals.
South African provincial police spokesperson for Mpumalanga Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said the suspected victims of human trafficking were rescued in a pre-dawn raid on Friday targeting various houses in eMalahleni. Sex cult leader found guilty in New York. He said that the area targeted was believed to be harbouring prostitutes, drug dealers and illegal foreign nationals.
He said the undocumented foreign nationals have since been handed over to the Department of Home Affairs awaiting deportation. Recently, South African police rescued 37 undocumented Zimbabweans from a human trafficking syndicate and arrested two taxi drivers who were transporting them.
The illegal immigrants β 21 men, 11 women and five children β were intercepted in Polokwane while on their way to Pretoria. According to the Department of Immigration, an average of illegal migrants are intercepted daily at Beitbridge Border Post as they try to enter South Africa.
Zimbabwean border jumpers wishing to cross into South Africa are helped by commuter omnibus drivers commonly known as omalayitsha who are well connected to officials on both sides of the border. Despite stiff fines imposed by the South African Home Affairs on omalayitsha caught smuggling undocumented travellers or those with expired passports or no valid visas, into that country, cases of smuggling of such persons continue to rise.
