City Vice Squad officers have rescued a 35-year-old woman who had been forced into prostitution in Bellville.
In the early hours of Sunday January 21, officers on patrol came across a group of women on a street corner near Parksig Villas.
They issued Section 56 notices to the group, but noticed a newcomer.
When officers spoke to the woman, she told them she had been brought to Cape Town from Johannesburg under false pretences, drugged and forced into prostituting herself.
The officers arranged for her transfer to a place of safety and handed the case over to the Hawks for further investigation.
“Sadly, the plight of this woman is not unique,” said JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security; and social services.
“Human trafficking is far more common than I think many people realise.
“These are the most vulnerable members of our society who are exploited by ruthless criminals.
“While I’m sure the criminal justice system can and should do much more, one also has to remind customers that they are part of the problem because they create the demand.”
* Law enforcement officers patrolling Durban Road, Bellville, arrested a taxi driver for illegal possession of a firearm on Tuesday January 16.
The driver told the officers he had bought the gun at the Kuils River Taxi Rank for R250.