13 Youth Rescued in Polokwane: Foreign National Detained for Possible Human Trafficking

• Police in Limpopo are investigating the circumstances surrounding a disturbing discovery at a house outside Polokwane where multiple young people were found living together
• Authorities acted on intelligence about suspicious activity, leading to a police operation at the property on Monday
• Preliminary findings have raised serious concerns, with officials now working to determine whether any criminal exploitation or trafficking took place

LIMPOPO - Police in Limpopo are investigating a suspected case of human trafficking and kidnapping after 13 young men and women were discovered at a three-bedroom house in Legae La Batho, in the Seshego policing area outside Polokwane.

Law enforcement officers, together with community members, gathered at the property on Monday, 22 June 2026, after acting on information about alleged suspicious activities.

Young people rescued from alleged trafficking

According to SAPS, the group, consisting of young people aged between 19 and 23, is believed to have been recruited from different provinces, including Mpumalanga, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo.

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Preliminary information suggests the young people were allegedly recruited by a Nigerian national who had been renting the house and was reportedly employing them to sell insurance policies on the streets.

Some of the individuals told police they had been living at the property since 2022 after being recruited for the work.

Foreign national detained

During the operation, police also found a foreign national believed to be the property tenant. Officials from the Department of Home Affairs Immigration Services were called to the scene and later detained the individual after it was allegedly established that he was in South Africa illegally.

Limpopo Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe said SAPS treats allegations involving the exploitation of vulnerable people seriously, adding that investigations are underway to determine whether any criminal laws were violated.

Authorities say they are continuing to interview those found at the property to establish the full circumstances surrounding the case.

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Police rescue 58 Ethiopians from foreign trafficking

In similar news, 58 Ethiopian nationals were rescued from an East Town safe house in Johannesburg, where they had been held in overcrowded and inhumane conditions. Law enforcement authorities in Johannesburg launched an operation on Sunday, 26 October 2025, after receiving credible intelligence about an inter-provincial human trafficking syndicate operating between Limpopo and Gauteng. Three foreign nationals were arrested in connection with charges of human trafficking and kidnapping.Inside the house, law enforcement officials discovered the victims being kept in inhumane conditions. The rooms were severely overcrowded, and several individuals displayed signs of exhaustion and trauma as a result of their ordeal.

Chinese nationals sentenced for human trafficking

Previously, Briefly News reported that seven Chinese nationals have been sentenced to 20 years behind bars, but according to a family member, the real kingpin is still at large. Kevin Tsao Shu-Uei (42), Chen Hui (54), Qin Li (60), Jiaqing Zhou (51), Ma Biao (62), Dai Junying (63), and Zhang Zhilian (56) were found guilty in February 2025 on 160 charges. The charges relate to human trafficking, child labor, assisting undocumented immigrants to remain in South Africa, aiding and facilitating human trafficking, and benefiting from the exploitation of victims.

Source: Briefly News