Guest house managers due in court on sex trafficking charges

Two suspects are expected to appear in court after police officials searched a premises in Goodwood where a victim was allegedly being held against her will as a sex worker.

The Hawks, based in Bellville and George, collaborated with the Department of Home Affairs and A21, a non-government organisation, in arresting the suspects on Saturday.

Hawks spokesperson, Siyabulela Vukubi, said: “This was as a result of a search warrant that was executed after information was received of a possible trafficked victim being held against her will in a guest house in Goodwood and forced to work as a sex worker. During the search, four females were found in the guest house, who admitted to being sex workers. An additional five other adult persons were found along with three small children. Two of the persons were identified as the managers of the guest house.”

The investigation showed that one of the sex workers was an alleged victim of trafficking and the two managers of the guest house were arrested.

The victim was transported to a nearby hospital for medical examination and taken to a place of safety.

The two suspects, aged 31 and 34, will appear in the Goodwood Magistrate's Court on Monday facing charges of trafficking in persons.

In March, a 38-year-old woman was arrested in Durban by a multi-disciplinary team for her alleged involvement in trafficking persons and managing a brothel in Cape Town.

The operation, which involved teams based in George and Durban, followed an investigation that began in September 2024 when police raided a brothel in Plumstead, Cape Town.

Vukubi said that 12 occupants were found during the raid. Five females were identified as sex workers.

Cape Argus