Sixteen
South African girls, drugged and used as sex slaves for up to nine months, have
been rescued from a human trafficking ring ran by Nigerians, in a three bedroom
house in Kempton Park, in Ekurhuleni, South Africa on July 15, 2016.
The girls told officers they endured sexual abuse at the hands of hundreds of
men, the youngest just 15-years-old. Some were kidnapped and others lured with promised of jobs.
"The
15 year old girl was saying to me she was brought here by Nigerians – two weeks
back and they promised her they were going to give her a job – that’s how she
got here. She even said she doesn’t know the place, she is just caught up
here," said Gauteng police commissioner Major General Suzan de
Lange.
"The
other one said she was brought here by a friend and another said she was
kidnaped. Most of them the whole story is that they were promised a job."
she added.
Inside
the house, new and used condoms were strewn across the floors. The filthy
bedrooms had more than one bed and there was a mattress in a corner in the
kitchen.
The young women told Hawks and South African Police Service (SAPS) officers
that they were abused, drugged and starved. They say they were forced to sleep
with over 15 men a day each and the clients would pay between R50 and R70.
"These
girls are coming from around the country. Some from Soweto and they are so
small and their parents don’t know that their girls are here. Once they are here
they are being used by men," said Hawks head Lieutenant General Berning
Ntlemeza.
"So
it means it is a destruction – we are not going to have kids in this country if
we are going to allow this. We are at war now."
Police
officers, who arrested four men, found drugs and pornographic material as they
swept through the house collecting evidence. The young girls sat outside the
house crying and comforting each other as they told of their capture and abuse.
Their rescue came as part of the Hawks and SAPS’ Operation Expose.
Offices, houses and factories targeting Nigerian drug lords and human
traffickers were raided in the operation. (picture show HAWKS invading the
streets of Kempton park and every Nigerian owned shop) The operation has been
to Durban and Sandton but authorities are yet to reveal the next raid will be.
"We
arrested a lot of people today – Boksburg and Kempton Park, this is the start.
We are moving and we are going to deal with drugs in this country," said
Ntlemeza
