Cape Town – Police discovered 44 Ethiopian men, including 17 minors, locked inside a house in Parkmore, Sandton on Thursday.
The discovery was made after security guards heard screams and alerted authorities, police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo told eNCA.
“In the early hours of this morning, the security guards were patrolling in this area, when they heard people screaming from this house. So they then called the police who came here… When the police arrived, they saw that they are people who were locked inside… we were able to get inside and we found that it was 44 males who are Ethiopian nationals,” Masondo said.
[DEVELOPING] Police say they found 44 Ethiopian men locked in a house in Parkmore, Johannesburg. They say authorities were alerted after patrolling security guards heard screams coming from the house and called police, who responded to the scene #eNCA #DStv403 pic.twitter.com/Von7TBaTzH
— eNCA (@eNCA) May 1, 2025
The men, who struggled to communicate in English, are currently being treated as illegal immigrants, but police are also investigating a possible human trafficking case.
An interpreter is being sought to gather more information about how they arrived in South Africa
Last month, African Insider reported that at least 50 foreign nationals escaped from being held hostage in a house in Lombardy East, Johannesburg.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said at the time that the incident could be connected to human trafficking.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
