South African police are investigating a suspected human trafficking case after 32 foreign nationals escaped from a house where they were held captive in Lombardy East, Johannesburg.
Neighbours alerted the police after hearing noises of people banging on doors and breaking windows, state broadcaster SABC News reports.
Provincial Police Spokesperson Mavela Masondo says, “We found out that they are all from Ethiopia, and preliminary investigations led us to a house here in Lombardy East where it is alleged that these people were kept against their will, and indeed we found that the door was broken, and it shows that they forced themselves out.”
The victims, the youngest being 13 years old, were taken to Sandringham Police Station for processing. No one has been arrested so far, police said.
Promises of jobs
The victims told local media they were lured to South Africa with promises of jobs and better opportunities.
Masondo adds some have been kept on the property for about a year.
He says, “We are still searching for the owner of this house and also trying to gather more information on how did they ended up in this country, and we are still trying to establish who can be held accountable or liable.”
South Africa has had a series of similar cases where foreign nationals were illegally brought into the country.
In August last year, authorities rescued 90 undocumented Ethiopian nationals who were allegedly being kept against their will and "under inhumane conditions in Sunnydale Ridge, Johannesburg".
Some of the rescued miners say the gangs refuse to let them emerge from underground despite deteriorating health conditions.
Masondo says the Border Management Authority (BMA) is working to find a workable solution to the illegal smuggling challenges.
