By Lee-Yandra Paulsen
Police recently rescued 90 Ethiopian migrants who were being held against their will in Johannesburg. The discovery was made during a search for a kidnapping victim on Sunday. Authorities found the migrants packed into small rooms and locked up. Two suspects were arrested on charges of kidnapping and human trafficking, and the alleged kidnapping victim was also rescued. The migrants are believed to have been illegally trafficked into South Africa.
Bianca van Aswegen, a criminologist at Missing Children, spoke to PM Drive on Wednesday about the case. “As far as I understand, about 90 foreign nationals were found during the bust. It was actually due to a kidnapping case that led police to accidentally discover these foreign nationals over the weekend,” she explained.
Van Aswegen emphasized that this case is still under investigation, and it cannot yet be linked to any other human trafficking cases in the country. She noted that the South African Police Service (SAPS) investigates all human trafficking cases to determine if syndicates are involved.
“We need to understand the difference between kidnapping and trafficking in persons,” Van Aswegen said. “In the case over the weekend, the police were initially searching for a kidnapping victim who was being held for ransom. The trace led them to this house where they found the Ethiopian migrants, who were allegedly victims of human trafficking. Kidnapping can happen for various reasons, such as ransom demands, opportunistic kidnappings, or kidnappings for traditional medicine purposes. In contrast, human trafficking involves taking a person as a commodity, selling them into industries like sexual exploitation or forced labour.”
Van Aswegen also commented on the issue of undocumented foreign nationals in South Africa, highlighting the prevalence of human trafficking in the country. “Human trafficking happens everywhere. South Africa is both a transit and a destination country for trafficking in persons. This means we have victims who are exploited within our own country, as well as foreign nationals being trafficked into and out of South Africa.”
She further explained that weak border controls and the ease of obtaining false documentation contribute to the problem. “One of the major vulnerability factors is our border patrol, which is not up to standard, allowing foreign nationals to enter the country illegally. It’s also very easy to get hold of false documentation to bring people in and out of South Africa. Economic hardships, the impact of pandemics like COVID-19, and other environmental factors have increased the vulnerability of both South Africans and foreign nationals to human trafficking.”
As the investigation continues, authorities seek to uncover the full extent of the trafficking operation and any potential connections to broader syndicates operating in the region.
VOC News
Photo: Pixabay
