Wentworth brothers ‘lured' to Cambodia in suspected human trafficking scam
A Wentworth woman says what appeared to be a job opportunity of a lifetime for her brothers has turned into a nightmare.
It's alleged the two men were lured to Cambodia with promises of work, only to end up in what their family believes is a human trafficking operation.
" This thing has changed our family life,” she says.
“We don't sleep at night. The mind is constantly awake and thinking, have they eaten or are they okay? Or are they still alive? It's so hard to pretend that everything is okay. But deep down, you are broken."
Their sister says her brothers left home in December, excited about a new adventure.
The woman, who is staying anonymous, says they realised something was wrong when her siblings called to say they’d been taken six hours from the airport to a compound.
They told the family they were being monitored, couldn’t speak freely, and needed help to come home.
Their sister says communication with them has been limited and is monitored.
She says during rare calls, they appear visibly distressed.
" We don't speak to them much. Only when they do have a chance, when their phones are given to them, then they'll speak, but not much. They'll answer like, whatever we send to them on WhatsApp. Or sometimes, if they do get a chance to give us a video call, we'll see their faces. They've gone very thin. Their eyes are in, there isn't much they can say to us, but we can see the pain through their eyes."
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She says the past two months have been a constant worry.
The Hawks in KwaZulu-Natal have confirmed they are investigating after a case was opened at Wentworth Police Station, south of Durban.
Spokesperson Simphiwe Mhlongo says a single docket has been registered, consolidating all related missing persons reports where human trafficking is suspected.
" Hawks members attended to that matter, and they opened that case docket. They're currently aged between 19 and 26. These people are being lured and being promised work, and then they arrange transportation for them. Then they never came back to their families again."
He has urged communities to verify overseas job offers and ensure they are authentic before travelling abroad.
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