28 TRAFFICKED SWAZIS PROMISED E1 000 SALARIES, PAID ONLY E98

MBABANE – The 28 locals who were victims of human trafficking were subjected to gross inhumane treatment.

This was according to the Hawks Spokesperson Simphiwe Mhlongo in an interview yesterday.
Mhlongo said the survivors’ passports and identity documents were forcefully taken by their employer who is of Chinese origin. He said they strongly believed they had a strong case against the suspects.

 He said during their raid of the Newcastle factory, they discovered that the survivors slept and ate in the factory.
“They were not allowed to leave the factory and were underpaid. That clearly shows that the intention of trafficking these people from their countries of origin was to exploit them in terms of labour,” said Mhlongo. He said what was important to note was that the survivors were kept against their will and threatened when they wanted to leave.

When asked when the survivors were likely to return home, Mhlongo said; “I am not sure at the moment because they are part and parcel of the criminal matter now.” Mhlongo said at some point, the surviors would be needed to give some testimony in court.
He said the Department of Social Welfare was keeping the locals in a place of safety while the police were still busy with the criminal aspect of the case.

According to reports from the Independent Online, the survivors were aged between 18 and 44. The publication stated that they were paid less than E100 a month for their labour. The publication also stated that the survivors were promised salaries ranging from E700 to E1 000 per month only to receive a shocking E98 as their first salary.

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