Tip-off about 'girls trafficked in shipping container from West Africa' leads to arrest in George

The Hawks arrested a woman in George in the Western Cape on Saturday after receiving information three "young girls" had allegedly been trafficked to South Africa from West Africa in a shipping container.

A KwaZulu-Natal woman spent more than five years in prison for the murder of her husband despite gunshot residue tests proving her innocence. Stock photo.
A KwaZulu-Natal woman spent more than five years in prison for the murder of her husband despite gunshot residue tests proving her innocence. Stock photo. (Picture: 123RF/ALLAN SWART)

The Hawks arrested a woman in George in the Western Cape on Saturday after receiving information three "young girls" had allegedly been trafficked to South Africa from West Africa in a shipping container.

According to a police report, the Hawks received information on Wednesday that the girls, who were allegedly given fake passports, were advertised on an escort website and being kept in a residential complex in George.

A serious organised crime investigation team raided the complex where they found four females, who the Hawks suspect have been trafficked. The victims, aged between 21 and 47, were rescued and kept in a place of safety after they were taken for medical assessment.

The woman, who is allegedly the caretaker of the premises, is expected to appear in the George magistrate's court on Monday on human trafficking charges.

TimesLIVE


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