A 47-year-old foreign national has been arrested and 10 teenage boys rescued in Mulbarton, south of Johannesburg, following a suspected human trafficking incident.
Police were alerted after a group of eight half-naked teenagers was spotted walking along the street. Upon questioning, officers established that the teenagers were foreign nationals who could not speak English.
According to Hawks spokesperson Katlego Mogale, police were further informed that two additional boys had already been taken away in a blue VW Jetta.
“The vehicle was later intercepted along the street, but the driver fled, resulting in a high-speed chase which ended in Commissioner Street. The suspect was subsequently arrested and the two half-naked teenagers were rescued,” Mogale said.
The suspect is expected to appear in the Booysens Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 8 January 2026, on charges of being an illegal immigrant and suspected trafficking in persons.
The provincial head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in Gauteng, Major General Ebrahim Kadwa, commended the multidisciplinary effort by law enforcement agencies in combating human trafficking in the province.
Further investigations are underway.
