[imagesource: Alecska @ Followthestory.net]

A German national was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport and charged with trafficking and fraud after being caught with two Madagascan women.

Joachim Will was arrested on 30 April, allegedly attempting to take the two Madagascan women, aged 32 and 29, to Croatia.

The 56-year-old chancer was arrested by a joint police team led by the West Rand Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation, working with Interpol, Crime Intelligence and Gauteng’s Provincial Border Policing, News24 reported.

Hawks spokesperson Colonel Philani Nkwalase said the women, accompanied by Will, were intercepted by Border Management Authorities (BMA) on 19 April.

“They attempted to board a flight to Croatia on 19 April at the OR Tambo International Airport. Upon inspection, they were found [in possession of] fraudulent Italian passports. The two women were then arrested and were later released,” he said.

Further investigations by the Hawks uncovered that Will had recruited the two women through a dating site in Madagascar.

“He allegedly lured the duo, promising them employment in Croatia with a lucrative monthly salary,” said Nkwalase.

“Moreover, he facilitated their travel to South Africa, where they met and (Will) reportedly provided them with fraudulent Italian passports for their travel from South Africa to Croatia. In light of these developments, other role players were activated to ensure that the victims are transferred to a place of safety.”

He appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court last Friday and will spend a week in custody. Will is expected back in court on 10 May for a formal bail application.

Prof Philip Frankel – who has worked on trafficking issues for over a decade and also wrote the only other book on the subject in South Africa, Long Walk to Nowhere: Human Trafficking in Post-Mandela South Africa – explores the various forms of trafficking in the country.

The chapters delve into sex, labour and child trafficking, supplemented by material on child organ trafficking for muti murder, illegal adoption and ‘baby farming’ of children for exploitation by foster parents.

Prof Frankel notes that successful prosecution of traffickers is minimal despite a possible 250,000 victims in South Africa alone.

“There is rampant corruption in the SAPS and other departments such as the Department of Home Affairs, some of whose senior personnel are complicit with perpetrators in sophisticated transnational cartels,” says Frankel. He adds that public consciousness about trafficking is also limited, so many gut-wrenching trafficking crimes go unreported and uncounted.”

He said that trafficking has increased precipitously in the wake of COVID-19 and load-shedding to “unprecedented levels” and, according to international barometers, our counter-trafficking initiatives are stalled or losing ground.

“Confronting the challenge at this point requires a multi-dimensional initiative that includes more training and accountability in the criminal justice system, and widespread awareness training among key government and civil society stakeholders,” says Prof Frankel.

Meanwhile, the national head of the Hawks, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya has commended the “diligent work” of the multi-disciplinary law enforcement team this time round.

“The coordinated efforts of our team members have been instrumental in swiftly preventing our county from being used to commit crime as a transit venue. We remain committed to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that justice for the victims of trafficking in persons is restored,” said Lebeya.

That’s one down and many more to go.

[source:news24]