Several reports of human trafficking on West Rand in past two years

Highest number of calls received originate from Gauteng and the Western Cape.

By Roodepoort Record

Photo: Pixabay. For illustrative purposes.

The shocking number of missing persons reports that cross our journalists’ desks has encouraged the Record to investigate human trafficking, with a specific focus on the West Rand.

Many of these missing persons are children. Most recently, the community was shocked when three-year-old Lee Mentoor of Roodekrans went missing on 16 March. Although one arrest has been made in connection with his disappearance, the family and community is still searching for answers. Residents could only speculate and one possibility that often cropped up was human trafficking. The Record spoke to René Hanekom, a Resource Line Manager at the South African National Human Traffic Resource Line (SANHTRL), to learn more about this rapidly growing crime.

1. Please tell us more about your organisation

SANHTRL was founded by and is operated by A21 South Africa. A21 is an international non-profit organisation. The line will be two years old this August, and we are overwhelmed by the exponential growth it has seen. We work closely with a number of partner organisations, law enforcement, government workers and community members who have assisted in spreading our number (0800 222 777). One particular highlight that hugely increased our reach was having the SANHTRL featured on 7de Laan earlier this year. Although we are fairly young, our success thus far has revealed the true potential and scope for changing the face of trafficking in South Africa. Since launching the line in August 2016, we have assisted in 68 rescues through the line and have received over 9 000 incoming signals (calls, emails and online tips).

2. How does a person interact with you? When should they approach you?

There are three ways to make contact with the Resource Line: a phonecall, an email or filling in an online tip report form that can be found on our website. The Resource Line acts as a tool for community members to use at various times. More urgent instances would include if you have been trafficked and need help; if you know of someone who has been trafficked and may require case management services; and if you have have knowledge or have seen suspicious behaviour from a person/ location in your community that may indicate trafficking. Other services include vetting potentially false job opportunities, referrals for other services, technical training for front-line professionals to learn more about victim identification and community awareness events.

3. How serious a problem is human trafficking on the West Rand (Roodepoort, Krugersdorp and Randfontein)?

How many cases do you see from this area? What are the main reasons you see for these cases? What is the most common form of human trafficking in this area? What about South Africa at large?

The highest number of incoming calls originate from Gauteng and the Western Cape. In 2017, we were able to assist on nine rescues in Gauteng. In the past two years, we have received 11 reports of human trafficking in the West Rand area.

The most common forms of human trafficking that are generally reported in Gauteng are cases of sex trafficking. The five main types of human trafficking that we see in South Africa are sex trafficking, labour trafficking, bonded labour (forced work to pay off a debt, often generational), domestic servitude (happens in people’s private residences) and child trafficking. Other less conventional types include forced marriages and forced begging.

The beauty and perception of economic prosperity lures people from all over Africa and Asia with the promise of “a better life”. Traffickers will use this want for a “better life” to trick and manipulate people. Once they have been convinced, methods of control are employed, including forcing them to become drug dependent or using violence and threats to either harm the individual or their loved ones. Once they are caught in trafficking, they could be exploited in a number of different ways. We see many different forms of exploitation in South Africa, from forced labour on farms, fishing trawlers and in domestic servitude to sexual exploitation on the streets and behind closed doors in illegal brothels. With such a diverse range, our office works hard in all areas to reach the vulnerable, rescue the victime, and restore the survivors.

4. How serious a problem is human trafficking in South Africa in relation to the international epidemic?

Estimates of trafficked victims vary given the covert nature of the crime; however, a conservative estimate of the number of victims trapped within modern-day slavery in South Africa is 248 700 versus a total of 45,8 million globally (Global Slavery Index). Unfortunately, statistics in South Africa have proved to be unreliable and not all cases of human trafficking are correctly identified or reported. South Africa faces a large problem as a source, transit and destination country. Traffickers work within the structural context of a country to exploit vulnerable populations. With high unemployment, fairly new legislation and other structural concerns, our country is a recruitment and exploitation hot spot.

The South African problem is perpetuated by a lack of awareness and knowledge of the phenomenon, which is why we focus on empowering communities to take steps to report suspicious behaviour. This includes but is not limited to, things like a residential house that has little or no activity during the day but is busy at night; domestic workers who are not allowed to leave their employers’ homes, and recruiters offering suspicious job opportunities to young people.