Thursday March 27, 2025
Migrants, believed to be from Somalia and Ethiopia, are seen fleeing a house in Lombardy East, Johannesburg, on March 26, 2025. Authorities say more than 50 individuals escaped what is suspected to be unlawful detainment under the guise of promised employment. (Screengrab Kaya News)
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (HOL) — Dozens of foreign nationals, many of them teenagers and young adults from Ethiopia and Somalia, escaped from a house in Lombardy East, Johannesburg, on Wednesday morning in what police are investigating as a potential violation of South Africa’s Immigration Act.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) responded around 9 a.m. after community patrollers and neighbours reported hearing screams, broken glass, and the sight of people running through the streets — some partially clothed, others clutching loaves of bread. Private security was first on the scene before alerting authorities.
The escapees were transported to Sandringham Police Station, where they remain in custody while their statements are being collected. According to police spokesperson Colonel Kaha of the Hawks, the case is not currently classified as human trafficking. “The victims’ statements have not yet been taken, and we are investigating this under a violation of the Immigration Act,” she said.
Police have not yet confirmed how long the migrants were held or whether arrests have been made. Reporters at the scene found the house accessible, as it had not been sealed off as a crime scene. Inside, they observed makeshift bedding, dirty blankets, a foul stench, and buckets used as toilets. A kitchen with leftover food and loaves of bread indicated the residents had been living in cramped, unsanitary conditions. Signs of forced exit, including a broken door, were also visible.
An Ethiopian community translator, Adise Chuafmaa Jarse, told reporters that some of the migrants said they had been held for months without food or clothing and were promised jobs in South Africa. “I asked them how they are keeping, how they get their food. No food and no clothes. And they beat them badly. Sometimes people die — they must throw away,” she said.
One neighbour, who declined to be named for safety reasons, said she recorded the dramatic escape and alerted both private security and police. “They were screaming. Some were naked, others holding bread. It was terrifying,” she told reporters.
Police have yet to confirm the total number of escapees. Initial reports placed the number at around 50, but SAPS later confirmed that 32 to 34 were in custody as of Wednesday evening, with the youngest being just 13 years old.
The escape closely mirrors a case from January, also in Lombardy East, where 15 Ethiopian nationals were rescued from a house under similar circumstances. Eleven of those victims were hospitalized, and police at the time suspected a trafficking network. The area has since drawn scrutiny as a possible hub for migrant exploitation.
In February, a separate case involving seven Chinese nationals resulted in nearly 160 convictions for human trafficking and child labour in the Gauteng South High Court — highlighting growing concerns over human trafficking rings operating in South Africa.
Authorities say the migrants will be relocated to a place of safety once processing is complete. Investigations are ongoing, and police have not ruled out the possibility of further charges depending on the outcome of victim interviews.
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