Two people have been arrested for allegedly trafficking 14 minors from Midrand and it was suspected that they were on their way to Cape Town without any documentation. The suspects are said to be foreign nationals from Zimbabwe. This is the third human trafficking incident in less than a week.

Provincial Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Tebogo Thebe said minors found on the bus were eight boys and six girls, aged between six and 14. "It is alleged on Tuesday night the two suspects - a 46-year-old male and a 41-year-old woman - were seen boarding a bus in Midrand with 14 undocumented children. Police were alerted to the incident by a vigilant passenger in a bus from Midrand, in Johannesburg, en route to Cape Town. The bus made a stop over in Kimberley, and the passenger called an off-duty police officer, who in turn alerted the multi-disciplinary team," said Thebe. He added that the suspects claimed to be taking the kids to their parents in Cape Town, information the police could not verify, leading to their arrest. "The victims were inspected and looked dirty and hungry, without any additional clothes." The provincial Trafficking in Persons Rapid Response Team led by the Department of Social Development was contacted to assist with placing the kids at a place of safety and providing food.

Meanwhile, over the weekend the Commissioner of the Border Management Authority (BMA) ,Mike Masiapato, said they intercepted 443 children, under the age of eight, who were allegedly trafficked from Zimbabwe into South Africa in 42 buses. The buses were stopped at Beitbridge border port and ordered to return to Zimbabwe where they would be received by authorities. On Sunday evening a search for a kidnapping suspect led to the discovery and rescue of 33 men in Benoni, Ekurhuleni. The police said they suspected that the people were victims of a human trafficking syndicate, also given the fact that they were found cramped in one room. Home Affairs Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi said the incident was reported to Zimbabwean authorities and the kids were returned to Zim and their passports handed over."We strongly condemn these criminal acts, especially when the interest of the child is at stake, especially during this period of 16 Days of Activism for the No Violence Against Women and Children campaign," he said