Hawks have rescued 10 women from an alleged human trafficking ring and arrested five people in early morning raids in Rustenburg and Kuruman.
Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, who confirmed the development on Sunday, September 27, said the women are from Limpopo, Lesotho, and Namibia and were trafficked to work in brothels in Rustenburg and Kuruman. The brothels were disguised as bed and breakfast accommodation.
"The women were trafficked from neighboring countries and used as sex slaves. The brothels were disguised as BnBs and the women were made to pay rent while working there," Mulaudzi explained.
According to Mulaudzi, the arrests were a culmination of an investigation that lasted more than a year.
"The investigation started in June 2019. Since then, we have been working on collecting intelligence," he said.
The investigation identified six suspects. One of them died in 2019, but the remaining five were arrested during a swoop on three properties, which began at 06:00 on Sunday, Mulaudzi said.
The Hawks are working with the Department of Social Development to take the rescued women to places of safety.
The Department of Home Affairs was also assisting with their immigration status, Mulaudzi said.
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