Human Trafficking in South Africa: Private Investigator Weighs In on Crime After Joslin Smith Case

• The Joslin Smith trial has shone the spotlight on the disturbing trend of human trafficking in the country
• The international crime trend is often committed in the open and quite frequently by criminals
• While very much an international issue, there are an estimated 100,000 victims in South Africa annually
• Private Investigator Haroon Sader spoke about the many reasons people are trafficked in and out of the country

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has spent a decade reporting on the South African political landscape, crime and social issues. He spent 10 years working for a community newspaper before transitioning to online.

The Joslin Smith trial has once again put human trafficking back in the spotlight.

The little girl’s mother, Kelly, along with Steveno van Rhyn and Jacquin Appollis, were found guilty of human trafficking and kidnapping in relation to her disappearance.

The Saldanha Bay youngster was last seen on 19 February 2024, with her disappearance making national and international headlines.

While human trafficking is by no means a new crime trend, the case shone a light on this disturbing and serious issue in the country.

Private investigator talks human trafficking

Speaking exclusively to Briefly News, Private Investigator Haroon Sader spoke about the growing crime trend.

Sader, the director of SIN International, stated that human trafficking was defined as the exploitation of a person, either by deception/fraud, coercion, force or threats. He also noted with concern that while the crime is an international issue, there are an estimated 100,000 victims in South Africa annually.

Sader also confirmed that last year alone, the Hawks investigated 156 trafficking cases, while the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) reported prosecuting 123 suspects.

What people are trafficked for

Sader also explained that there were many reasons why human trafficking was still so prevalent and why there was a continuous demand for victims.

Sader said that many girls were either brought into the country or taken out for sexual exploitation.

Trafficking of organs is also a huge problem. Many victims are killed so that their organs can be trafficked. While he noted that organs more often than not come from Thailand, locally, organs for witchcraft are sold mainly to clients in West Africa.

He explained that victims were often targeted for their body parts to be used for medicine, rituals or as a sacrifice for money, health, love or anything else. Lourencia Lombaard claimed that Joslin was sold to a sangoma who wanted her for her eyes and skin.

The growing trend of trafficking in South Africa

While there is a huge demand internationally, Sader explained that there is also a growing trend nationally.

He explained that victims were often taken from informal settlements and rural areas, often by traffickers who take advantage of their desire for a better life.

“Most victims often end up in the country’s major cities, including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban,” he said.

While some are kidnapped and forced into a new life, others may go willingly, not knowing what lies in store for them.

“The victim may be kidnapped or sold to a buyer, or be trafficked willingly without knowing what they are getting themselves into.”

He explained that in some cases, victims were lured by deceitful methods, as traffickers posed as handsome, wealthy men in an attempt to lure beautiful but impoverished and uneducated women.

“They’ll buy the target a plane ticket, arrange the necessary paperwork and book them into a fancy hotel. When the target arrives at their destination, their ID/ Passports, travel documents and phones are taken from them. They are now under someone else’s control,” Sader explained.

He added that victims were often targeted on dating sites and social media, with traffickers offering them a job opportunity that was too good to pass up.

Males aren’t safe either. In 2023, a South African national was found guilty of multiple sexual and trafficking in persons offences, after it was found that he abused and rented out minor boys to others.

Sader noted that men also fall prey to the promise of a better life, and often take up job offers that promise to pray more, before they are ultimately trapped in a life of enslavement upon arrival at their destination.

Corruption among social workers

Sader also stated that there was a growing concern that social workers were selling children to traffickers.

“I have personally investigated a case in Sandton where social workers were selling kids from the shelter. An albino child was targeted.”

He explained that the social workers said the mother was unfit and so took the child from her and claimed to have given her up for adoption. They then sold her to unknown people.

Almost 2,000 children missing since 2022

Briefly News reported that almost 2,000 children have been reported missing since 2022.

National Police Spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that 742 were never seen again.

South Africans described how painful it was to know how easily some of the country's children went missing every year.

Source: Briefly News