KEY POINTS
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Police rescued 22 Ethiopian nationals, aged 16–26, from suspected captivity at a property in Erasmia.
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Some victims had allegedly been held for up to eight months; three sustained injuries.
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No arrests have been made, but the case is being linked to other suspected human trafficking incidents in Gauteng.
Gauteng police have rescued 22 young Ethiopians, aged between 16 and 26, from what authorities suspect is a human trafficking or kidnapping syndicate operating from a remote plot in Erasmia, near Centurion.
The rescue of the Ethiopians followed a police response to a seemingly unrelated trespassing complaint on Tuesday morning—an incident that has now unraveled into a possible international crime operation.
“Police have opened a case of kidnapping and extortion,” confirmed Captain Tintswalo Sibeko, spokesperson for the Gauteng police. “Three of the victims were injured and are receiving medical attention in hospital.”
The Ethiopians were reportedly being held against their will in a locked property with limited access to basic necessities.
The non-profit organisation Missing Persons, which has been working with the families of the victims, claims that several of the young men had been held for as long as eight months. Many of their families had filed missing person reports months ago but had received no concrete leads—until now.
According to information from the NPO, a breakthrough came when 13 of the captives attempted a daring escape from the property.
That escape reportedly prompted a nearby resident to call in a trespassing complaint, which led to the police’s discovery of the remaining victims inside the compound.
Kidnapping of Ethiopians emerge as similar cases raise alarm
According to Sowetanlive, this incident follows a string of similar rescues involving Ethiopians across Gauteng, raising alarms about the scale of human trafficking operations targeting undocumented migrants from the Horn of Africa. Just weeks ago, 44 Ethiopian men were discovered crammed into a house in Sandton, Johannesburg—another case under investigation by police and immigration authorities.
Despite the rescue in Erasmia, no arrests have been made yet, and authorities are tight-lipped about the progress of their investigation. Immigration experts suggest the victims may have been smuggled into the country under the pretext of better opportunities and then held captive by traffickers demanding ransom payments from their families.
“We’re looking at a syndicate structure that may involve local and international players,” said a source within the Hawks, South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, who asked not to be named. “What’s worrying is that many of these young men vanish off the radar for months, and the delay in tracing them makes it hard to dismantle these networks.”
The Department of Home Affairs has yet to confirm the victims’ immigration status or clarify whether any of them will face deportation. Advocacy groups have urged the government to provide immediate humanitarian assistance and protect the victims from re-traumatization or forced return to unsafe conditions.
“Many of these young people are not criminals—they are victims of a brutal transnational crime that trades in hope and exploits vulnerability,” said Amina Feleke, director of the Refugee Advocacy Network, a Johannesburg-based NGO.
For now, the rescued individuals are receiving care while law enforcement agencies intensify efforts to identify the masterminds behind the operation. The police have promised updates as more information becomes available.
