CAPE TOWN - A 48-year-old suspect is expected to appear at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court for allegedly trafficking a 25-year-old woman from Gauteng for sexual exploitation, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) said on Friday.
Hawks spokesperson, Captain Philani Nkwalase, said the victim, originally from Gauteng, was allegedly lured under false pretext by the perpetrator after they were introduced by the victim’s friend at a party on June 9.
“They travelled to Cape Town the following day, on arrival she was allegedly locked up at a house in Brooklyn and forced into a life of drugs and prostitution,” said Nkwalase.
“Whilst on the streets, the victim managed to alert a passing law enforcement vehicle of her ordeal on the July 10, she was subsequently rescued and taken to a place of safety,” added Nkwalase.
The matter was referred to the Hawks’ Anti-Human Trafficking team and on Wednesday, the investigating team with the assistance of crime intelligence, South African Police Service, Metro Police, Social Development, as well as A21 NGO descended at a house in Milnerton. The perpetrator was identified by the victim and arrested on the spot. The suspect has been charged for contravening the Trafficking in Persons Act, according to Nkwalase.