Trafficking victim welcomed home
Mabeleme Mokete
Maseru – Home Affairs Minister Motlalentoa Letsosa today received a human trafficking victim from the Lesotho Consulate in South Africa at the Maseru Bridge border gate. The victim is a 22-year-old woman from Bobete, Thaba-Tseka. Ramotanyane Thamae (then Deputy Consular Pretoria) said the victim was lured into a trap of working in South Africa as a maid by a family member she was working for in Maputsoe in September 2019.
“The victim said when they arrived in South Africa, the trafficker raped her on the first day before six other different men also raped her. She lived like a prisoner and was not allowed to go anywhere,” Thamae said.
On behalf of the family, the victim’s brother Thabiso Raletebele stressed that they are very grateful that their sister returned home still alive and this happened only because they are orphans so their sister was only trying to find a job to provide for the family.
Letsosa urged Basotho to be vigilant when it comes to matters concerning jobs and scholarships by verifying if the offers are legitimate.
The victim left the country in 2019 with a four months child and came back today with another child who is about a year and some months old who she said is a product of rape. She said she spent all these years as a sex slave in Pretoria.
The trafficker in now in police custody awaiting trial. He was working in South Africa as a herd boy and a security guard at the place where the victims are kept.