Human Trafficking

South Africa’s Democratic Alliance laid criminal charges against uMkhonto weSizwe Party lawmaker Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla on Thursday over allegations she recruited young men to fight for Russian forces in Ukraine. The DA filed the charges at Cape Town Central police station, citing new evidence including around 100 WhatsApp messages from a group allegedly administered by Zuma-Sambudla. […]

A South African court sentenced seven Chinese nationals to 20 years in prison Wednesday for human trafficking and child labor involving dozens of foreign workers kept in slave-like conditions at a Johannesburg factory. The Gauteng High Court delivered the sentence against Kevin Tsao Shu-Uei, Chen Hui, Qin Li, Jiaqing Zhou, Ma Biao, Dai Junying and […]

The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday upheld the conviction and 18-year prison sentence of Nigerian national Chinedu Justice Obasi, who forced two women into prostitution while supplying them with drugs to maintain control. Judge Graham Moshoana dismissed Obasi’s appeal, describing the case as a clear instance of modern-day slavery. Obasi was originally convicted […]

South African social media influencers, including Cyan Boujee, Seemah, Ghost Hlubi, and Aya Langa, have faced intense scrutiny for promoting the Alabuga Start programme, a Russian job scheme accused of luring young women into exploitative conditions. The programme, targeting women aged 18-22, promised professional training, high salaries, and accommodation but has been flagged as a […]

South Africa’s government has warned young women to beware of social media scams promoting overseas job opportunities, amid concerns over viral videos advertising work in Russia. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation is investigating a now-deleted promotional video by South African influencer Cyan Boujee, whose real name is Honour Zuma. The video, which gained […]

The Gqeberha High Court in the Eastern Cape has dismissed an application by the state seeking clarification on the judgment that acquitted televangelist Timothy Omotoso and his co-accused, Lusanda Sulani and Zukiswa Sitho. Judge Nyameko Gqamana ruled that the state is not entitled to clarification on the decision delivered by Judge Irma Schoeman. Omotoso, Sulani, […]

 A South African woman has been sentenced to life imprisonment along with two accomplices for trafficking her six-year-old daughter, who disappeared more than a year ago and remains missing. Kelly Smith, 33, was jailed alongside her boyfriend Jacquen Appollis and their friend Steveno van Rhyn at the Western Cape High Court on Thursday. All three […]

The mother of a woman convicted of trafficking her six-year-old daughter has delivered a devastating victim impact statement, accusing her of destroying the family and refusing to take responsibility. Amanda Smith Daniels spoke directly to her daughter Kelly Smith in court on Wednesday, saying she had “come to break us and tear us apart” following […]

Loud chants of “Justice for Joshlin” rang out at the Saldanha Bay Multi-purpose Centre on Friday after Kelly Smith—the mother of missing six-year-old Joshlin Smith—and her co-accused, Jacquen Appollis and Steveno van Rhyn, were found guilty of kidnapping and human trafficking. The trio will remain in custody for one week before sentencing procedures begin in […]

At least 50 foreign nationals are reported to have fled a house in Lombardy East, north of Johannesburg, on Wednesday, in what authorities suspect may be linked to human trafficking. According to initial reports, the group escaped from a property in the residential area under circumstances that remain unclear. Police were dispatched to the scene […]