By Vivian Attwood
South Africa is being eyed by human traffickers, who plan to increase their importation of victims to cater for the sexual appetites of visitors to the 2010 World Cup, human rights workers stressed at a human trafficking workshop in Durban on Wednesday.
The event was steered by the Gender Aids Forum and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
While South Africa is regarded as a "developed" country, in marked contrast to many other parts of the continent, it currently lags behind economically depressed neighbours like Mozambique and Zambia in terms of legislation to protect vulnerable people against the scourge of human trafficking.
Both Zambia and Mozambique have introduced legislation making it illegal to traffic in human beings, or benefit in any way from that activity.
"We strongly hope similar legislation will be introduced in our country before the 2010 Soccer World Cup. The papers are just sitting before the parliamentary portfolio committee," said Speaker Bongiwe Mlatsha, who runs the KwaZulu-Natal office of the worldwide IOM.
"Despite our reputation for being a developed country, women, children and men, too, are being brought here from destabilised, vulnerable countries like Zimbabwe, the DRC and Angola, and exploited in a variety of ways. Primarily this involves sex, but some are also sold into slavery on farms and elsewhere.
"When victims of trafficking are detected, they are repatriated, but what about the perpetrators - the people who profit from human slavery? They get off scot-free."
Mlatsha said corrupt border officials were as guilty as the traffickers themselves in perpetuating the cycle of abuse of the vulnerable.
Participants at the forum were shown a harrowing, secretly-filmed video of desperate young women being hoodwinked into believing they would get jobs as waitresses in South Africa.
Trusted
They were approached by people they knew, and therefore trusted, to leave their homes. En route, they were raped and had their documents confiscated. Some were sold to mine workers in SA, and others were destined for brothels.
The undercover investigation team making the video posed as prospective "clients," asking one trafficker: "How many women can you get us?"
"Depends how many you need," was the response.
When asked what a woman cost, he replied "R1 000, and maybe R150 for the border official."
"How do you make sure the women don't run away when they find they aren't going to be waitressing, but doing sex work?" the interviewer asked.
"Sometimes we rape them. We call it 'washing the hands'," the trafficker said.
An outraged community representative at the forum cried out during discussion of the video: "Their (the women's) lives are worth so little. For R1 000 you can buy a human being. You are selling my soul. I am no longer myself. You own me, body and soul. I am your property. If you no longer want me, you can throw me away."
And indeed, explained Mlatsha, that is what often happens. "Mineworkers make these women their 'wives' for a time, and when they tire of them, they sell them to others."
The IOM worker runs two safe houses for women and children rescued from human trafficking in Durban. The location of the buildings is a closely kept secret.
Mlatsha revealed some of the problems relating to trafficked or exploited foreigners in the local context.
"We have cases where migrants from neighbouring countries send lovely photographs of Durban to their wives and girlfriends, urging them to join them here.
"Often these men have not got the documents they need to work, as they once did, as car guards or security officers. When the women get here, they are kept locked in a flat, and the men sell them to others for sex."
Mlatsha said that language and cultural barriers - and a fear of the police - prevented the victims from seeking help in their plight.
Those the organisation was able to help, were assisted with repatriation and education or work opportunities.
In terms of the controversial proposal to legalise prostitution in South Africa for 2010, Mlatsha said: "The IOM is against it, because the police and home affairs won't be able to control it. We simply don't have the capacity.
"The sad reality is the traffickers are way ahead of us. They are smart and they are already making their plans. They will check on the gaps, and then close them. We lag far behind."
If you need help, or suspect human trafficking in your area, call the toll-free National Trafficking Helpline at 0800-555-999.
Mlatsha operates on the 16th Floor of the Commercial City Building in Commercial Road, Durban. She may be contacted at 031-304-4057.