Durban – A man and a woman appeared in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court for luring a woman to a house in Durban, holding her against her will and forcing her to have sex with other people.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the accused appeared on charges of human trafficking, kidnapping, rape, keeping a brothel and contravention of the Immigration Act.
Ramkisson-Kara said the charges related to the luring and alleged kidnapping of a woman, who was taken to a house in Durban.
“She was held captive, raped and forced to have sexual intercourse with other people,” she said.
The pair were remanded in custody and are set to appear in court next week for a bail application.
Last month IOL reported that Nonhlanhla Precious Thabetha, 49, was arrested at her hiding place in Esikhawini, near Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, on August 25, for alleged human trafficking.
The Hawks said Thabetha had appeared in the Bethal Magistrate's Court in Mpumalanga in connection with human trafficking.
Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi, the Hawks spokesperson in Mpumalanga, said Thabetha’s arrest followed an investigation into an incident on a Bethal farm on May 14. Edjuanida Teixeira, 40, was arrested by the Secunda-based Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation team on suspicion of human trafficking.
“This followed a tip-off to police about young, undocumented Mozambicans who were kept on a farm around Bethal.
“The team promptly responded to information and on arrival at the farm, they found six undocumented Mozambicans. They complained to police that they were recruited from Mozambique and were promised that someone in South Africa has a job for them but on arrival what they were promised was never done,” said Sekgotodi.