Police are treating the men as illegal immigrants, but a case of human trafficking has been opened.
Forty-four Ethiopian men were found locked inside a Parkmore, Sandton, house on Thursday morning. It is unclear if they are illegal immigrants or if they were trafficked.
A case of human trafficking is being investigated.
44 Ethiopians locked inside Sandton house
Police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo told eNCA that the men were found after security guards heard screams coming from the property while patrolling the area.
He said police responded and discovered dozens of men locked inside the house.
“We found 44 males, who are Ethiopian nationals. Although it was difficult to communicate with them, because [most] couldn’t speak English,” he said.
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One of the men who could speak “a little bit of English” told the police that all the men are Ethiopians. The man, however, couldn’t say how long they had been locked in the house.
Masondo said police are treating the men as illegal immigrants, but it is possible they are victims of human trafficking.
“It is still early. We are trying to get an interpreter from Ethiopia… so we can get all the information about how they arrived here.”
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