The Hawks arrested a woman in Viking Village for alleged human trafficking. File picture: Henk Kruger/ Independent newspapers.
A woman alleged to be involved in human trafficking was arrested in Kraaifontein on Wednesday October 2, according to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks.
An operation by the Hawks, the City’s Law Enforcement and the Department of Home Affairs lead to the arrest of the woman at a house in Viking Village, Kraaifontein, where four possible victims were rescued, according to Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Zinzi Hani.
Her arrest follows an investigation that started earlier this year, where it was discovered that the suspect had trafficked a victim from Nigeria for sexual exploitation, Warrant Officer Hani said.
“Preliminary investigation and interviews by social workers discovered that the four possible victims are not trafficking in person victims, but are illegally in South Africa,” she said.
She said they were then arrested and charged for contravention of the Immigration Act.
The woman was due to appear in the Kuils River Magistrate’s Court on Friday October 4 for a charge of trafficking in persons and contravention of the Immigration Act, while the four others were expected to appear in the same court for a charge of contravention of the Immigration Act.