Police find 44 Ethiopian nationals allegedly being kept against their will at Parkmore house
The group was found by private security guards in Parkmore while patrolling the area on Thursday morning when they heard people screaming.
Forty-four Ethiopian nationals were found at a property in Parkmore, Sandton on 1 May 2025. Picture: Jabulile Mbatha/EWN
JOHANNESBURG - Police have discovered 44 Ethiopian nationals at a house in Sandton, allegedly kept against their will.
The group was found by private security guards in Parkmore while patrolling the area on Thursday morning when they heard people screaming.
They were taken to a local police station.
ALSO READ: Police increasingly concerned about incidents of suspected human trafficking in Johannesburg
Yet again, 44 Ethiopian nationals were found in this property in Parkmore, Sandton. Police are still investigating whether it is a case of human trafficking while they have taken them in for being in the country illegally.@Jay_Mbatha pic.twitter.com/tcQecxGjkj
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) May 1, 2025
Police said that 17 minors were among the group of illegal immigrants at the house in Parkmore.
The house, with a high white fence, is an active crime scene, with law enforcement officials and private security guards.
It's not clear at this stage how long the group has been here or how they arrived in South Africa.
Police spokesperson Mavela Masondo said that the men were in a weak state.
"You could say that they were hungry, they were thirsty because they asked for food, they asked for water."
In April, police found 50 Ethiopian nationals who escaped after they were allegedly held hostage in a Lombardy East house in Johannesburg.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, 15 other Ethiopian nationals were rescued from a house in Sandringham.