Johannesburg – A 49-year-old man has been arrested for the alleged kidnapping of 50 Ethiopian nationals who were rescued from a house in Zakariyya Park, near Lenasia, south of Gauteng.
“It is reported that these 50 people, were brought into South Africa to be reunited with their families living in the country, but on arrival, the person who transported them demanded money from their families before their release,” South African police services spokesperson, Brigadier Brenda Muridili said.
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The Ethiopian nationals were aged between12 and 50.
“They are currently in awaiting to be processed by the Department of Home Affairs. Some of their families have been notified,” Muridili said.
#HumanTrafficking SA#ZAKARIYYAPARK pic.twitter.com/InCSoLZRbb
— Luvuyo Duma999 (@Duma2Luvuyo) October 14, 2021
A News24 report said that some lights inside the house where the Ethiopian nationals were kept were apparently “deliberately removed to prevent suspicious neighbours from noticing what was happening inside”.
The house was rented out to people who are yet to be found, the report said.
The suspect was set to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
#HumanTrafficking police are still combing the scene where more than 50 young men from Eastern Africa were rescued from a house in Zakarriya Park. It is not known when the victims were brought to the place @TeamNews24 pic.twitter.com/1psSO46t2O
— ntwaagae Seleka (@ntwaagae) October 14, 2021
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Compiled by Reginald Nhlapo
