A 34-year-old woman is set to appear in the George Magistrate’s Court in the Western Cape, facing charges related to her alleged involvement in human trafficking. The arrest took place on Saturday, December 16, executed by members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations, commonly known as the Hawks.
The arrest stemmed from information received on December 13, indicating that three young girls had been trafficked from West Africa into South Africa a few months earlier, concealed in a shipping container. Reportedly provided with fake passports, the girls were said to have been advertised on an escort website and kept in a residential complex in George.
Acting on this intelligence, the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team conducted a search at the identified premises. Four females, suspected victims of trafficking and aged between 21 and 47, were discovered. The victims were promptly rescued, and following a medical assessment, they were relocated to a place of safety.
The arrested suspect, identified as the caretaker on the premises, was taken into custody without delay. She is expected to face charges related to the contravention of Section 4(1) and Section 7 of the Prevention and Combatting of the Trafficking in Persons Act, Act 7 of 2013. The woman is scheduled to appear in the George Magistrate’s Court on Monday, December 18, 2023.