Five in court over charges of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
"Two of the suspects arrested are fugitives who had been on the run since September 2019. They were allegedly linked to another case of human trafficking."
The media was barred from entering the courtroom on Monday, when five people appeared in connection with charges of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
The state prosecutor requested that members of the media and the public be excused from the proceedings as the suspects had not yet been identified by the victims.
Four Nigerian men and a South African woman, charged with contravening the trafficking in persons act for the purpose of sexual exploitation, appeared in the Pretoria magistrate’s court on Monday.
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Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Philani Nkwalase said the suspects were arrested in Sunnyside by various police units on Friday, after receiving information from the human trafficking hotline about a 17-year-old victim who reportedly left home in March 2021.
Nkwalase said allegations were that the 17-year-old was recruited in Hammanskaal by one of the suspects, kept against her will, forced into a life of drugs and subjected to acts of sexual exploitation.
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“A search and rescue operation was conducted on Friday, December 31, 2021 at an apartment in Sunnyside following an in-depth investigation. The minor was successfully rescued along with a 25-year-old victim. They were taken to a place of safety.
“Two of the four suspects arrested are fugitives who had been on the run since September 2019. They were allegedly linked to another case of human trafficking where nine suspects were arrested and their case is now being heard in the Pretoria high court.”
Hawks provincial head Major-General Ebrahim Kadwa applauded the joint teams for the arrests and reiterated the significance of forging a multi-disciplinary approach in the fight against crime.
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“I urge the victims suffering in isolation and the members of the community that may witness this injustice to use the available emergency numbers in their quest for intervention.”
The case was postponed to January 10 for further investigation, including confirmation of addresses and their status in the country.
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