Human trafficking: Men rescued from Germiston ‘prison’

The human trafficking case under investigation after a raid on a house in Sunnyridge in Ekurhuleni has many similarities to a human trafficking case involving the discovery of 26 Ethiopian men, also found locked inside a house in Benoni on August 23.

The Hawks confirmed on Monday that a case of human trafficking was being investigated after more than 100 men, of which the youngest is reportedly about 10, were found locked up inside a house on School Avenue.

The men were found during a raid on Friday at about 10:00. Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale confirmed a case of human trafficking is being investigated.

No further information has been forthcoming from police authorities. However, the Primrose CPF chairperson, Tracy Enslin, told Germiston City News the men were Ethiopian, except for four Malawians.

“The youngest is about 10. They were living in terrible conditions, and there were burglar bars on all the windows.

“These men had no facilities and used buckets for toilets. There were no beds, and some of them had to share blankets – if they had any,” says Enslin.

She adds that the house was raided because of investigations following information received by the Germiston Crime Intelligence Unit.

“The raid was executed by Germiston Crime Intelligence officers, the Hawks and the Primrose SAPS. They received medical assessments, and seven were subsequently transported to hospital. Many of them are underweight, and those taken to hospital were severely dehydrated. The rest are at the Primrose Police Station, where they are very comfortable,” says Enslin.

“The community members and businesses of Primrose have been amazing because we received great support in terms of donations of food and assistance. The men cannot speak English. I commend all the officers on the scene who treated these men with great compassion – they are victims,” she adds Enslin.

A police source told Germiston City News that investigators had contacted translators to interview the men.

Benoni case

The Sunnyridge case comes after two men, an Ethiopian and a Malawian, were arrested in Benoni last month.

They were arrested in connection with the alleged trafficking of 26 Ethiopian nationals found at a property on Fifth Street, Northmead, on August 23.

Police then also responded to a tip-off.

The men had been locked up in the house for about four months after allegedly being lured to the country with the promise of jobs.

Similar to the house of captivity in Benoni, the property on School Avenue was also situated in an average residential neighbourhood. The street was quiet this past weekend, with no trace of what was once hidden behind high walls, electric fencing, and security cameras.

Germiston City News asked the Hawks if the Benoni and Sunnyridge cases could be linked, if arrests had been made after the Primrose raid, whether the 100+ men had been charged, the exact number of men found, the confirmed age of the youngest and for what and how the men were trafficked.

At the time of publishing, Warrant Officer Thatohatsi Mavimbela from the Hawks Gauteng had not responded. The Primrose and Germiston SAPS also did not comment on the case.

Transparency

Caxton Local Media and the Forum of Community Journalists (FCJ) recently raised an objection to a directive issued to police stations not allowing local SAPS spokespersons to communicate with local media.

“This jeopardises transparency and negatively impacts community journalists’ role as community watchdogs and informing society.

“It is through the reportage of community journalists that communities often unite with local police officers in the fight against crime and join awareness campaigns to fight off social ills, organised crime and more,” says the FCJ executive director, Marietta Lombard.