A mother and her son have briefly appeared before the Springs Magistrate’s Court, in Gauteng, facing charges including trafficking in persons, keeping a safe house, assisting illegal immigrants evade the law, as well as illegal possession of ammunition.
The mother, Dumazile Nkosi is aged 51, and the son Thandoluhle Nkosi is aged 25.
The two were summoned to appear in court as additional suspects in an ongoing trafficking in persons case being investigated the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as the Hawks) based in Vaal Rand.
“The pair were added in the ongoing investigation as they were allegedly keeping and leasing premises where in February 2022, 47 foreign nationals were kept, as well as failure to report activities related to trafficking in persons,” Hawks spokesperson, Colonel Katlego Mogale said.
Another accused person in the case, 31-year-old Dawit Adamu was identified while attending a court case of his brother, Solomon Adamu, and subsequently arrested on a warrant of arrest last week.
Adamu consequently made his first appearance in the Springs Magistrate’s Court on the day of the arrest and he was granted bail.
He will appear in court again on November 3, when he will be joined by other accused in the case.
“The mother and son were remanded in custody and will appear again in court for formal bail application on October 18,” said Mogale.
Meanwhile, provincial head of the Hawks in Gauteng, Major General Ebrahim Kadwa has welcomed the arrest. He also expressed appreciation for the “hard work” displayed by the team.
“Trafficking in persons is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights, therefore, the community is to pay attention to some of the following tips to ascertain if a person is being trafficked,” said Kadwa.
He said the red flags for communities to identify human trafficking cases include:
• Poor living conditions
• Multiple people in a cramped space
• Inability to speak to an individual alone
• Answers appear to be scripted and rehearsed
• Employer is holding identity/travel documents of employees
• Signs of physical abuse
• Submissive or fearful behaviour
• Unpaid or paid very little for labour
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