Police rescue 47 victims from human traffickers

CAPE TOWN - Police have rescued 47 victims from human traffickers in South Africa's Limpopo province, authorities announced on Sunday.

Acting on a tip, police launched a sting operation in Louis Trichardt and Thohoyandou on Saturday and rescued the victims who were detained against their will, said Limpopo police Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi.

The 47 victims, all from Ethiopia, were in good health and had been taken to a place of safety, said Mulaudzi.

Police arrested six people, one Indian and five Ethiopians, for their suspected involvement in human trafficking, he said.

South Africa has remained a hot spot in Africa for human trafficking, but no official specific figures are given on how many people become victims to human trafficking in the country.

The UN crime-fighting office said in a report last month that 2.4 million people across the globe are victims of human trafficking at any one time, and 80 percent of them are being exploited as sexual slaves.

About $32 billion are being earned every year by unscrupulous criminals running human trafficking networks, according to the report.