More arrests as Hawks smash human trafficking ring in Mpumalanga

The latest pair, a 60-year-old man and his son, was detained by authorities in Nelspruit on Sunday. 

The man and his 23-year-old son were nabbed after brothers Carlos and Gabriel Guambe, who are both in their 30s, were taken into custody in June.

According to the Hawks, the victims, including seven women and nine children under the age of five years, were rescued from a farm in Dullstroom during a multi-disciplinary operation.

The group is understood to have been recruited from Mozambique and was brought into South Africa with the promise of better work opportunities.  

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Police say they were taken to Lydenburg by taxi, where the son of the farm owner and one of the traffickers met with the driver. 

Money changed hands and the victims were sold as farm labourers. 

The Guambe brothers were charged with human trafficking and contravening immigration laws. 

They lined up in court again on Monday, alongside the Uys family. 

The case was postponed to next Monday for a formal bail application.