Two men, who are foreign nationals, have pleaded guilty and were sentenced by the Nelspruit Regional Court for contravening the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act.
Mpumalanga spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi said accused number one in the matter, only referred to as Ihsanulla, was sentenced to a R10,000 fine or two years imprisonment.
He was also sentenced to a further three years imprisonment which is wholly suspended for five years on condition that he is not found guilty of trafficking in persons during the period of suspension.
“The accused number two, Mujahid Hussain was sentenced on count one, a R5,000 fine or one year imprisonment and further three years imprisonment which is wholly suspended for five years on condition that (Hussain) is not found guilty of trafficking in persons committed during the period of suspension,” said Sekgotodi.
The sentences followed after an intelligence-driven operation was executed by a Mpumalanga multi-disciplinary team on February 27 at KaMagugu.
“The operation followed information regarding illegal immigrants who were kept in a safe house, migrating from foreign countries into South Africa without proper documentation,” said Sekgotodi.
The multi-disciplinary law enforcement team followed-up on the information, which led them to a house at KaMagugu.
“They found 19 males packed into a three-bedroomed house without furniture. Preliminary investigation established that 14 were Bangladeshi and four were Pakistani nationals. A Pakistani national, Ihsanulla, aged 43, was arrested for being in charge of the safe house,” said Sekgotodi.
“Police recovered 18 passports, 27 cellphones, chargers, and cables which were packaged together and kept by Ihsanulla.
“The suspects could not communicate in English and were in possession of passports that were not stamped for legal entry into South Africa,” according to the Hawks.
The 18 foreign nationals, aged between 20 and 45, were arrested and charged for contravening South Africa’s Immigration Act.
“Ihsanulla was charged for trafficking in persons. The Department of Home Affairs declared all (the people found in the house) as undocumented foreign nationals. Investigations revealed that they were trafficked,” said Sekgotodi.
During further investigations, another Pakistani national, Mujahid Hussain, aged 36, was arrested and added as a suspect.
The house in which the trafficked victims were harboured was leased to Hussain and his wife.
“In the absence of his wife, he used the house, together with accused one, to harbour the trafficked persons, the victims. The suspects were denied bail and kept in custody,” said Sekgotodi.
On Tuesday, both Ihsanulla and Hussain pleaded guilty before the Nelspruit Regional Court, and they were convicted and sentenced.
Meanwhile, provincial head of the Hawks in Mpumalanga, Major General Nico Gerber has welcomed the sentencing of the duo.
According to the Hawks, Hussain was also linked with another criminal case which occurred in September 2022, and he was sentenced to R5,000 fine or one year imprisonment.
IOL