Bernadette Wicks19 February 2024 | 16:18

Hawks confirm rescuing over a dozen human trafficking victims

On Monday, Hawks head Godfrey Lebeya briefed the media on their achievements between September to November.

Hawks confirm rescuing over a dozen human trafficking victims

JOHANNESBURG - The Hawks have managed to rescue more than a dozen potential human trafficking victims in the third quarter of the current financial year.

On Monday, Hawks head Godfrey Lebeya briefed the media on their achievements between September to November.

He also revealed that during this time, a total of 19 possible victims were saved.

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When it comes to arrests, Lebeya revealed that four suspected human traffickers were arrested in the period under review while three were convicted.

Lebeya honed in on an operation in Kimberley in December that saw 14 children rescued on the back of a tip-off from a passenger on a bus travelling from Johannesburg to Cape Town.

Two people were subsequently arrested in that case. One has since been granted bail of R5,000 while the other is still in custody, pending a bail application.

They’re due back in the dock in April.

In the meantime, the children have been sent back to their home country of Zimbabwe.