News24 | 44 foreign nationals, possibly trafficking victims, rescued from dire conditions in Joburg

Forty-four foreign nationals, believed to be from Ethiopia, were rescued from a property in Parkmore, Johannesburg, where they were locked in two rooms. (Jaco Marais/Gallo Images/Die Burger)

Forty-four foreign nationals have been rescued from a property in Parkmore, Johannesburg.

The circumstances of their arrival in South Africa are unclear, but police say they could have been trafficked. 

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According to a police report, which News24 has seen, officers were told that a suspicious noise was coming from a residence in 10th Street at around 01:29 on Thursday.

Police visited the premises, where they found 44 young men, believed to be from Ethiopia, locked in two rooms.

One was able to communicate in broken English and reportedly told police he had been transported from Ethiopia to South Africa and taken to the Johannesburg premises. 

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The conditions at the premises were dire, and the men had limited food, no access to sunlight, and inadequate clothing, according to the report.

Police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Mavelo Masondo, had not commented at the time of publication.

However, during an interview with eNCA, he said security guards had heard people screaming inside the house and called the police.

He told the news channel that details were scant due to the language barrier, but added that police were in the process of sourcing an interpreter.

Masondo said the men would be "treated as illegal immigrants", but that there was a possibility the matter was linked to human trafficking.