By Poloko Tau
Police have rescued eight women who were lured into forced prostitution through a "R4 000 a week job" newspaper advert.
The women, six from Gauteng and two from the Free State, had been promised lucrative jobs at an "upmarket club" in Welkom.
Police said one of the women told a patron about their ordeal at Club Gemini, where they were forced to "entertain clients".
"A well-known gospel singer was told about the crime and immediately blew the whistle, and the Organised Crime Unit pounced on the club on Tuesday," said police spokesperson Puleng Motsoeneng.
Motsoeneng said the women, who are in their 20s, were held in rooms at the back of the club, where they met their clients.
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"You would not think of it when sitting in the club itself. It looks like an ordinary drinking spot. The rooms are very clean and this is where it all went down," she noted.
"These women were assaulted and sometimes electrocuted if they did not abide by their boss's demands," said Motsoeneng.
The eight women, some of whom had been kept at the club for three weeks, were never paid the promised salaries, but instead found themselves indebted to their employer, who was charging them for food and accommodation.
A 41-year-old club owner and her 23-year-old daughter were arrested and charged with assault, intimidation, abduction, human trafficking for sexual purposes, and conspiracy or inducing another person to commit a sexual offence.
Police have warned job-seekers to be wary of bogus job opportunities in adverts that do not carry company names and addresses.
"Human trafficking is a worldwide problem and legislation to declare it a crime will soon be approved by parliament, therefore perpetrators will be arrested," said Superintendent Abe Kolisang of the Thabong Organised Crime Unit.
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This article was originally published on page 2 of The Star on May 02, 2008
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