A woman from Lesotho apparently lured with a fake job offer in Bloemfontein has escaped from sexual exploitation. Upon escaping, she went looking for help around the Phahameng and Joe Slovo settlements.
Some residents came to her rescue after she opened up about her harrowing ordeal of allegedly being kept captive by a male compatriot at the residence he is renting in Bochabela.
The 21-year-old woman reported that she originates from Teyateyaneng (TY), a town in the district of Berea in Lesotho, and arrived in the city earlier this month with a promise of a job offer, according to an informed source.
After hearing of the woman’s ordeal, community members immediately alerted the police, leading to the arrest of one suspect, aged 28 years. Details about arrangements surrounding her trip to Bloemfontein and the alleged job offer are vague. She told her rescuers that the man was a stranger. He apparently works as car guard at a popular entertainment venue in Bochabela.
It is unclear if the suspect who was arrested has appeared in court yet.
The matter was escalated to the Hawks’ Specialised Investigation unit in Bloemfontein.
Capt. Christopher Singo, provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, said preliminary investigations revealed no human trafficking prospects.
“It was established that there were no elements of human trafficking. It was a rape case, which we discovered following the investigation by the Hawks,” said Singo.
He said one suspect had already been arrested regarding the alleged rape of the woman when the matter was escalated to the elite crime fighting unit.
Singo said given this was a rape case, it has been referred for further investigation to the Mangaung Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit (FCS) in Bloemfontein. The unit investigates cases ranging from sexual crimes and person directed crimes; the illegal removal of a person, which entails kidnapping, abduction and missing children younger than 12 years; to electronic media facilitated crime.
- The unit is also investigating two police sergeants for alleged extortion in a sexual assault case. The case was reported in March last year after a whistle blower alerted the anti-corruption unit when the officer demanded more money from a rape suspect.
The officers Tsietsi Antonio Makhetha and Nombi Anny Peter face charges of corruption, extortion, theft and defeating the ends of justice. They allegedly forced a female victim to extort cash from a 38-year-old male suspect, with promises that the matter against him would be dropped.
Apparently, the officers took the money for themselves. The two officers are currently out on bail set at R1 000 each.
