Police reported that dozens of children and young people who were being held captive in a Johannesburg suburban home escaped on Wednesday, raising the possibility that human trafficking was involved.
Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo informed reporters that 32 of the escapees had been apprehended by police, and they were all Ethiopian citizens.
The situation is similar to others that have occurred in Johannesburg in recent months, as industrialised South Africa has attracted waves of migrants from Malawi, Lesotho, and other countries, many of whom are without legal documentation.
Videos circulated on social media showed individuals racing through the streets of the Lombardy East area of Johannesburg, some of them barefoot.
Masondo stated, “Most of them are minors,” putting their ages at between 13 and 24 years.
He claimed, “It is alleged they were kept against their will,” and that several of them were found half-naked.
“There is a possibility that it is human trafficking.”
In January, 26 undocumented Ethiopian nationals were rescued by Johannesburg police from suspected human traffickers who were holding them captive without clothing or documentation.
Police discovered around 80 illegal Ethiopians inhumanely confined in a house in a different city suburb in August of last year.
The arrest of three further Ethiopian nationals was based on suspicion of unlawful firearm possession and human trafficking.
“It is a concern for us that people are being brought to our country… and kept in houses here against their own will,” Masondo stated.
