One male and one female suspect were arrested by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) Operations officers for Human Trafficking in the Johannesburg CBD.
On 15 June 2022 whilst conducting Buya Mthetho patrols along Wanderers and Noord Street, officers stopped an overloaded Silver Toyota Quantum mini bus taxi with Mozambican registration plates.
Officers proceeded to search the vehicle and found that all the passengers were undocumented foreign nationals.
A lady in the vehicle attempted to talk on behalf of the passengers for them not to be arrested. Whilst communicating with the officers, the lady mentioned that each person had paid her R3500 to come to South Africa for a better life and to get a job. The driver of the minibus taxi was paid R1000 per person.
The lady further alluded that they transport the people from Malawi crossing the Mozambique border into South Africa.
The driver and lady were arrested and detained at Johannesburg Central SAPS.
Immigration officials where contacted for the processing of the 20 passengers who came into the borders of South Africa illegally.
Issued by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department’s Communications Unit