 (1).png){kind=spacer}
1 month ago
6
A general view of the Atlantis Magistrate's Court in Cape Town. (Brenton Geach/Gallo Images)
- The Hawks have arrested a couple in Melkbosstrand on charges of rape and human trafficking.
- The husband and wife were arrested on Thursday by a multi-disciplinary team that included officials from the Departments of Social Development and Health.
- They will appear in the Atlantis Magistrate's Court on Friday.
A Melkbosstrand couple are expected to appear in the Atlantis Magistrate's Court on Friday on charges of rape and human trafficking after they allegedly lured a woman with a job offer, before subjecting her to rape and sexual exploitation soon after her arrival.
The couple's two young children were removed and placed in the care of social workers after the Hawks swooped on their home on Thursday.
Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Siyabulela Vukubi said the children would be taken for medical examinations.
The couple, aged 38 and 46, were arrested by a multi-disciplinary team of the Western Cape Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, SAPS K9 Unit, Melkbosstrand SAPS, the Department of Social Development, and the Department of Health.
READ | Teen taken in for questioning over rapes of 5 Eastern Cape matrics
"During October 2024, the Hawks were alerted about a victim of trafficking who had managed to escape from her traffickers. The investigation revealed that the victim was offered an employment contract to work for the same couple overseas, but not long after her arrival, she was allegedly raped and sexually exploited by her employers," said Vukubi.
"Various roleplayers, including other government departments and non-governmental organisations, were involved in the investigation of this matter. The suspects' address was subsequently identified in Melkbosstrand."
Vukubi said that after the search was conducted, the couple were arrested.
