The Hawks arrested a 34-year-old woman on Saturday for her suspected involvement in human trafficking after four women, who were reportedly advertised on an escort website, were rescued from confinement in a residential complex in George.

Nontobeko Mathunjwa’s arrest follows information received by the Hawks on December 13, indicating that three young girls, concealed inside a shipping container and given fake passports, had been trafficked from West Africa to South Africa a few months ago.

“The Serious Organised Crime Investigation team operationalised the information and a search was conducted at the premises [where the women were reportedly kept],” said Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Siyabulela Vukubi.

“They found four women, whom the Hawks suspected to have been trafficked. The victims who are between the ages of 21 and 47 were rescued and kept in a place of safety after they were taken for medical assessment.”

Mathunjwa, who was allegedly the caretaker of the girls, made her first court appearance in the George Magistrate’s Court on Monday on charges relating to human trafficking. The matter was postponed until January 22, 2024 for a formal bail application. She remains in custody.