Hawks spokesperson Philani Nkwalase believes more people may have escaped before police arrived at the scene where 26 people were rescued from a house in Sandringham, north of Johannesburg, following a tip-off from neighbours.

Upon arrival, authorities found 15 naked individuals, suspected to be Ethiopian nationals held captive inside the house.

Law enforcement agencies are urging the Sandringham community and nearby areas to report any sightings of naked individuals.

“Our preliminary investigation revealed that others successfully left the property and we could not be able to trace them so that is why we appeal to the community particularly in the area to come forward should they see people who are running naked or trying to hide themselves without any clothes. They could possibly be linked to that incident of suspected human trafficking,” Nkwalase says.

Nkwalase adds that the increase in cases of human trafficking in South Africa is a cause for concern for law enforcement. He says trafficking victims are constantly being moved between different syndicates.

“People are trafficked in their own country, others are trafficked in their own province, others are trafficked in their own city. Somebody here from Pretoria can be taken from Hammanskraal and be kept against their will here in Pretoria CBD, so this issue of human trafficking is quite a serious problem. From there they can exchange if they are tired of you, they sell you to the next bidder. You’ll be a new person there. So, there’s that use and reuse because you are human you can be used and reused, so human trafficking is quite the serious challenge.”

#sapsHAWKS A joint operation between Sandringham SAPS, Gauteng Hawks, Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) and a private security company led to the dismantling of a #HumanTrafficking ring in Sandringham, Johannesburg.

On 9 January 2025, authorities responded to a… pic.twitter.com/1FdvaDhxa0

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) January 10, 2025

Further investigations led to the arrest of three suspects allegedly implicated in human trafficking and the illegal possession of a firearm.

The Hawks say some of the facts relating to the matter are not yet clear and investigations are continuing.

 Suspected human trafficking ring dismantled in Sandringham, Johannesburg: Col Philani Nkwalase