The Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation based in Secunda, arrested a 40-year-old, undocumented Mozambican on a farm in Bethal on Saturday, May 14.
The suspect is due to appear in the Bethal Magistrates Court today, May 16, on charges of trafficking.
The Hawks received a tipoff of young and undocumented Mozambicans who were kept on a farm in Bethal. When responding to the information and upon arrival at the farm, they found six undocumented Mozambicans. They told the police that they were recruited from Mozambique and were promised that someone in South Africa would have a job for them.
It is alleged that the victims travelled from Mozambique on May 5 in a blue bakkie and before they reached the boarder gate from Mozambique side, the driver stopped, told them to go and pass through a river while be passed through the border post.
Doing as they were instructed, they met with the driver at the South African side of the border.
The driver took them to a farm in the Bethal area where they were handed over to the suspect.
The victims told the police that a recruiter in Mozambique paid the driver of the bakkie R800 for each victim.
The victims also alleged that upon arrival at the suspect’s place, they were instructed to cut the grass. The victims also alleged that during the night the suspect took them with a bakkie to steal coal from nearby mines. The suspect said he would pay them R100 only after stealing the coal. He never paid them for other jobs.
Maj-Gen Zodwa Mokoena, provincial head for the directorate for priority crime investigation, applauded the team for their swift response to arrest the suspect and the rescuing of victims who are being kept in a safe place while the investigation continues.
She also commended the public for reporting wrongful activities in their respective communities.
