6 girls trafficked, woman arrested
NHLANGANO – A 37-yearold woman has been arrested for human trafficking of six young girls.
The woman, Marie Msibi, who is originally from Mozambique, lives around Nyamane in the Shiselweni Region and is known for selling vegetables and fruits in town.
The girls she is alleged to have trafficked are aged between 16 and 17, while their job was to sell vegetables and fruits in town and at the textile firms.
It was gathered that they all dropped out of school in their home country (Mozambique) where they were doing high school and came to Eswatini having been promised what was termed ‘a good life’ and jobs.
It was gathered that Msibi had an agent who sourced the young girls for her to fetch on the Eswatini side of Lomahasha informal crossing.
Syndicate
The syndicate was busted after one of the girls ran away from Msibi and went to seek shelter at a certain homestead. She narrated what transpired and was provided with shelter. The family accommodated the young girl and went to the police station to report her case, which was where she narrated how she got into the country as well as her peers.
All the girls were then called for questioning, which was when they revealed all they wanted was to go back home. Worth noting is that they came at different times between January and October this year.
It was gathered that the girls narrated that coming to Eswatini, they were promised salaries amounting to E800 a month. The girls narrated that they would wake up at 5am, pack vegetables and fruits then leave for the textile firms to sell there while some went to town.
They stated that they were not given food and would sometimes go for days without taking a shower. The young girls stated that they were told after their first month end that they were only going to get their salaries in December when they returned back home.
It was said that Msibi would buy them toiletries and keep record for each one of them so that when they leave, she would deduct the money she spent from their salaries otherwise, they never got salaries ever since they arrived.
Firms
The girls further stated that they would leave work around pm after people had left town as well as the textile firms where they sold the vegetables.
It was gathered that upon arrival, Msibi took their cellphones and the girls also alleged that they were assaulted by their employer. They further stated that upon arrival, they each found girls like them who ran away.
Msibi appeared in court facing six counts of human trafficking and smuggling. She was remanded in custody until November 7, 2022.