APA-Pretoria (South Africa) At least 100 foreign nationals were arrested on Friday evening in a crackdown by South African officials targeting a suspected human trafficking ring in Gauteng province, Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said on Saturday.
Motsoaledi told journalists that the 98 Ethiopians and four Malawians were arrested in a raid by the police and immigration officials on a house in Primrose, a suburb of Germiston in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng province.
The minister said all those arrested had entered South Africa without visas, with only four of them possessing passports.
It is believed that the foreigners are victims of a trafficking ring operating from Gauteng, with some of the Ethiopians and Malawians said to be in bad health.
“A team led by the rapid response team of police brought in home affairs immigration officers, and we brought in paramedics as well because some of them were found not to be in good health,” Motsoaledi said.
He added: “We have got to check them clearly because they are clearly victims, especially the 10-year-olds among them. They are victims that might have been trafficked.”
According to reports, some of the foreign nationals were dehydrated and had to be transferred to hospital.
JN/APA