An American-based non-profit organisation fighting human trafficking launched its South African operations at an event in Centurion on January 30, warning that the crime is escalating rapidly in South Africa.

The organisation said victims are largely undocumented foreigners, and that law enforcement data is unreliable.

Jaco Booyens Ministries (JBM) hosted the launch in Centurion marking its official entry into South Africa with a focus on faith-based prevention, advocacy, rescue support, and policy reform, and highlighting its strategy to partner with schools in their activism against human trafficking.

Speakers at the event included faith leaders, survivors of trafficking and education stakeholders. Mary Flynn O’Neill, executive director of America’s Future, and Suzanne Bock Grisham, executive director of Mercury One, both gave their perspectives on the fight against human trafficking.

JBM’s South African operational director, Martin Human, said one of the organisation’s biggest challenges locally was the absence of credible statistics on human trafficking.

“There are no reliable numbers in South Africa. Law enforcement agencies are notorious for not recording data properly, and in many cases, there is a blatant refusal to investigate human trafficking cases,” Human said.

He said undocumented immigrants and their children were particularly vulnerable.

“South Africa has an estimated 15 million undocumented immigrants, many of whom are effectively stateless. There is no formal record of their children, which makes the children easy targets.”

Human added that cellphone registration data revealed the scale of the undocumented population.

“At the last count through the RICA cellphone registration process, it was discovered that [many] millions of foreign nationals are active on South African cellphone networks. That tells us how porous the system is, and what that means for human trafficking should alarm every South African.”

According to Human, trafficking in South Africa operates on multiple levels, including sexual exploitation, forced labour, organ harvesting, and so-called breeder programmes.

“We also need to ask ourselves a hard question: when last did you see street children begging, like a few years ago? They have disappeared.”

He said trafficking routes had shifted in recent years, with Lesotho now emerging as a major point of entry. “Border posts with Lesotho have become extremely active. The flow in and out has increased dramatically.”

Human linked the growth of trafficking networks to broader social decay and corruption.

“Some communities are losing their moral compass. Poor living conditions, hopelessness and organised crime all play a role. Ten years ago, drug cartels started developing in South Africa. Today they are blossoming. We recently heard testimony at a commission investigating police corruption that almost every law enforcement officer has been compromised through links to drug cartels.”

He warned that without political will, the situation would worsen.

“Human trafficking in South Africa is at a knife point. If it is not addressed now, it will explode exponentially.”

Trafficking survivor and international advocate Ilonka Deaton and sister to Jaco Booyens told attendees her return to South Africa was deeply emotional. Deaton was born in Brakpan. “My heart leapt because this is the first time in 13 years that I have come back home,” she said.

Deaton said she was trafficked as a child after being deceived by a trusted manager while pursuing a music career. “You can also be exploited for your talent, like I was,” she said.

In 2001, Deaton was rescued from trafficking, and Booyens was present that night when she was brought back to the family. After her rescue, Deaton shared with the family the details of what she had endured and the tactics traffickers used. This revelation was a turning point for Booyens and his family in understanding the reality of human trafficking.

“Things can change,” Deaton said, encouraging survivors to speak out and communities to act. “God looks at individuals and say I see something in you.”

After being rescued, Deaton has performed worldwide for thousands and has had the opportunity to work with gospel singers such as Rebecca St. James, Paul Coleman and Phil Keaggy. She is also the author of the book, Secret Freedom, in which she journals her journey to freedom and how to escape from secrets about your past.

Booyens said the organisation’s work was driven by this lived experience and urgent global need. He thanked the two American partner organisations present for supporting the South African expansion and said collaboration with schools would be a key focus.

“Trafficking does not necessarily start with kidnapping anymore,” Booyens said. “It starts on social media and gaming platforms. In some of these spaces, children make up the majority of users, and a shocking percentage of adult men operating there are predators.”

He said the NPO had recently rescued 27 girls from trafficking networks in Uganda and built a safe house for them in just 42 days.
“We are here to partner, to train, and to protect children before they need to be rescued.”

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