Johannesburg - The Hawks have raided and shut down two suspected brothels on the East Rand, said police on Saturday.
Captain Paul Ramaloka said the crackdowns happened on Friday and 23 people were arrested.
“We confiscated a total of R31 000 from the brothels,” he said.
In the first raid in Malvern, seven foreign national were arrested.
“Four women were from Thailand and the other two were from China. One man believed to be the owner was also arrested,” he said.
Ramaloka said R15 000 believed to have been proceeds from the business was seized..
The second raid was in Edenvale and R16 000 was confiscated from the premises.
“We arrested 14 women from Thailand and one South African woman. A 47-year-old man from Yugoslavia, who we think is the owner, was also arrested and another man from the Congo,” said Ramaloka.
All of them would appear in the Germiston Magistrate's Court on Monday where the owners would face charges of operating a brothel.
The women, some of whom entered the country without documentation, would face charges of illegal immigration and soliciting money for the purpose of prostitution. - Sapa