A 16-year-old grade nine pupil is celebrating her freedom after escaping the clutches of a suspected human trafficking group on Saturday last week.
The young girl was allegedly kidnapped by two women driving a black car in Ivory Park, extension 9, on January 14.
She had been sent to buy goods from a local store when she was kidnapped.
“When we realised she was not coming back, we started searching for her. We asked our neighbours and her friends if they had seen her. No-one knew where our daughter was, not even the people at the store.
“We reported her as missing at the Ivory Park Police Station, but still we heard nothing. We couldn’t do anything, knowing our child was out there, not knowing who she was with or where she was sleeping,” said the victim’s mother, whose identity is being withheld to protect the identity of her daughter.
The victim managed to escape when she was spotted in Johannesburg by a friend of the family.
The family friend is a street vendor, and she spotted the young child in Bree Street.
She called the parents and the father rushed to fetch his daughter.
“I could not believe it when my friend phoned and said she was with my child. She told me to come quickly and fetch her as there were people who wanted to take her away. My husband went to fetch her. I am happy we found her,” said the child’s mother.
The Ivory Park SAPS spokesperson, Warrant Officer Neldah Sekgobela, confirmed that a case of kidnapping was opened.
“The victim claimed to have seen another three teenagers from Ivory Park who were also kidnapped. It is believed that the children are being kidnapped to sell clothing.
“In some cases, the children are taken to Zimbabwe to help sell clothing. We are appealing to anyone with any information to come forward and assist the investigation,” said W/O Sekgobela.
