GOVERNMENT RESCUES AND REPATRIATES YOUNG PEOPLE BACK HOME

By Sipho Ncube

• Trafficking syndicates are increasingly targeting young South Africans through fake overseas job offers, often using social media and trusted personal networks.
• Government-led intersectoral action has resulted in the successful rescue and repatriation of victims, highlighting the importance of coordinated law enforcement and social support.
• Public vigilance and verification of employment opportunities are critical, especially during periods of high job-seeking activity.

The Gauteng Department of Social Development (GDSD) has issued a renewed warning to South Africans, particularly young people seeking employment, about the growing threat of human trafficking syndicates operating under the guise of overseas job opportunities.
The warning follows the successful repatriation of 17 young South Africans who were trafficked through Thailand and subsequently exploited in Myanmar. The group forms part of approximately 120 South Africans who fell victim to international trafficking networks between March 2024 and early 2025.
Victims were identified across multiple provinces—Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, the Free State, North-West, and the Western Cape—highlighting both the extensive scope and advanced operations of these criminal networks. In Gauteng specifically, around 80 individuals were impacted.
The repatriation was coordinated by the National Intersectoral Committee on Trafficking in Persons (NICTIP), which brings together government departments responsible for law enforcement, immigration, and social services.

Deceptive recruitment tactics

Investigations reveal that victims were primarily recruited through social media platforms, particularly Facebook, as well as through people they knew, including acquaintances, former colleagues, family members, and church contacts. The recruitment process typically involved online interviews conducted via WhatsApp or email, with traffickers arranging and funding air travel, accommodation, and other logistics to create the appearance of legitimate employment.
One of the repatriated victims, a 25-year-old man who asked to be identified as The Don for safety reasons, described how economic hardship made him vulnerable to deception.
“I have been the breadwinner for my family of four siblings since 2022 after my mother passed away and our stepfather disappeared,” he said. “When my contract at a fuel distribution company was not renewed, I felt desperate to find work.”
He explained that he was recruited for what was presented as a software-related position and travelled to Myanmar in November 2024.
“All communication happened online. I was told I would be working as a data capturer,” he said. “Although accommodation and food were provided, the conditions were poor. The first warning sign was that my visa was arranged after I had already arrived, and we were transported through multiple locations before reaching the site.”
He added that victims were closely monitored, prevented from contacting their families, and punished for non-compliance. Their rescue followed a security operation after authorities shut down the facility where they were being held.

Understanding trafficking in persons

Gauteng Department of Social Development Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Coordinator, Ms Takalani Sekoba, emphasised that trafficking in persons is defined by three core elements: recruitment, transportation, and exploitation.
“These cases often increase during periods when people are actively seeking employment, such as the start of the academic year or economic downturns,” she said.
In terms of Section 4 of the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2013 (Act No. 7 of 2013), human trafficking involves the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, or receipt of persons through deception, coercion, abuse of power, or exploitation for financial gain. Exploitation may include forced labour, servitude, slavery-like practices, sexual exploitation, or other severe human rights violations.
Authorities have identified common warning signs linked to trafficking schemes, including:
•⁠ ⁠Recruitment without formal contracts or verifiable company details
•⁠ ⁠Interviews conducted exclusively online with no physical office verification
•⁠ ⁠Offers that include fully funded travel and accommodation
•⁠ ⁠Pressure to make immediate decisions or keep opportunities confidential

Call for vigilance

As South Africa enters the back-to-school and back-to-tertiary education period, government departments are intensifying public awareness campaigns to protect young people and communities from deceptive recruitment practices.
Parents, educators, community leaders, and faith-based organisations are urged to assist young people in verifying overseas employment offers before any travel arrangements are made.
Members of the public are encouraged to report suspicious job offers or possible trafficking situations to the Trafficking in Persons Resource Hotline on 0800 222 777, the Gender-Based Violence Command Centre on 0800 428 428 (24-hour service), or to the South African Police Service (SAPS).